


The Proposal

by dreamsofolicity



Series: prompts from tumblr [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Engagement, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Language, Sexual Content, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2018-11-18 23:56:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11301480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsofolicity/pseuds/dreamsofolicity
Summary: When Felicity is threatened with deportation, she lies about being engaged to her boss, Oliver Queen. She doesn't expect him to agree to marry her but they're caught up in family parties and wedding plans before she knows it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fill for a prompt that I got on tumblr for a Proposal AU. It's not going to be long but I couldn't fit everything in one chapter. I hope that you enjoy it!
> 
> I opened my inbox for fics as a way to celebrate my upcoming birthday. Feel free to comment with a prompt or to send me a fic on my tumblr page - dreamsofolicity.

Felicity stared in horrified silence, trying to wrap her mind around what her lawyer just said.

“Can you repeat that?” she asked weakly, gripping the edge of her desk.

“I’m sorry, Miss Smoak,” Mr. Bernheimer said, stepping forward to hand over a small stack of papers detailing exactly what was happening. “Your visa application has been denied.”

She took a deep breath, standing up slowly.

“That’s ridiculous. I’ve done everything I was supposed to,” Felicity said, stepping around the desk towards her immigration attorney. “Why is this happening?”

“I warned you not to go out of the country while your application was being processed.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the emergency trip to the Russia branch. Felicity hadn’t thought twice before going. Her boss needed her.

“What can I do?” Felicity asked in a shaking voice, opening her eyes.

“You can reapply but in the meantime you’re being deported. You have to leave the country for a year.”

She shook her head.

“I can’t do that. My life is here,” Felicity said.

“I’m afraid that you don’t have a choice, Miss Smoak.”

He turned away, closing his briefcase as if he was washing his hands of her. She certainly would be getting a nicer immigration attorney if she had to keep fighting this bullshit for another year. Remembering a clause that she read forever ago when she was applying for MIT, she got an idea.

“But I’m getting married,” she said, putting the appropriate amount of anguish in her voice for the situation.

It wasn’t too hard to feel hysterical at this point. She was pretty sure that her blood pressure was through the roof of this very tall building. Mr. Bernheimer froze for just a moment before turning to face her.

“You’re getting married?” he repeated slowly, his eyes flickering down to her unadorned left hand. “To whom?”

The elevator behind him chose that moment to ding loudly, pulling one name to the forefront of her mind.

“Oliver.”

Her lawyer stared at her just as the man in question stepped off the elevator, his eyes on the phone in his hand.

“Oliver...Queen?” Mr. Bernheimer said, glancing between them.

Oliver looked up at the sound of his name, confused by the stranger standing with his executive assistant just outside of his office.

“Yes,” Felicity said, nodding in what she hoped was a confident way as she took several slow steps towards her boss. “I am getting married… to Oliver Queen.”

His eyes snapped to her, widening slightly. Felicity sent him a pleading look, promising that she would explain. He seemed to make a quick decision, opening his arm to her as she reached him. Felicity chose to ignore how perfectly she fitted into his side, her arm sliding around his waist as his settled over her shoulders.

“This is certainly unexpected,” Mr. Bernheimer said, his eyes flickering between the two of them.

Felicity nodded, feeling slightly unsteady on her feet. Whether that was her proximity to Oliver, who smelled ridiculously good, or the hovering threat of being deported, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she was leaning on him too much but she knew that standing on her own two feet would be difficult at the moment.

“Is there anything that we can do?” Felicity asked pathetically.

“Well yes,” her attorney said, straightening his shoulders. “There are exceptions for situations such as yours but the laws are very strict in this area. You will need to visit an ICE field office.”

“Of course,” she said with a nod.

“And you’ll need to make it official as soon as possible.”

“Official?” Oliver repeated, speaking for the first time.

“A wedding,” Mr. Bernheimer said.

Felicity nearly winced at the word, nodding her head.

“A wedding,” she said, repeating a silent apology in her head over and over again as if Oliver could somehow hear it. “We will… take care of that.”

Her attorney nodded, stepping backwards.

“Congratulations,” he said, still looking slightly skeptical before turning to the elevator.

Felicity assumed that he didn’t want to question it too much. Plausible deniability and all that. As soon as the elevators closed behind him, her facade broke and she was darting away from Oliver, her hands covering her face.

“Felicity,” he growled out slowly.

“I know,” she cried, collapsing in her desk chair. “I’m so sorry. I panicked.”

“What is going on?”

She inhaled deeply, unable to bring herself to look up at him.

“My visa was denied. They want to deport me back to Canada,” she said, staring down at the shiny floor. “I can’t go back there, Oliver. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She cut off, realizing that her lungs were constricting uncomfortably and she was finding it hard to breathe. Felicity gasped loudly, pressing a hand to her chest.

“Hey,” Oliver’s voice sounded like it was far away.

Suddenly he was there, kneeling in front of her with his hands on her knees.

“Breathe,” he told her.

Felicity tried to do as he said, fighting to get a breath. Then another and another until she felt a little less like the entire room was closing in on her. Oliver was patient, letting her take her time. He really was a great boss, despite her reservations at the beginning. When Felicity first moved to Starling City, she’d had all of these expectations in mind. She would work for a company that wanted to do some good in the world. Maybe she’d even find her way into an innovation division that put their money where their mouth was.  _ That _ was her dream. Then the rejections started coming. She was qualified but she was young. She was smart but she talked too much.

So she lowered her standards, applying for simple IT jobs. She was accepted for one only to end up with a perverted supervisor who expected a little extra hands on work. So she quit soon after, finding herself unemployed once again with a masters degree from MIT and nothing to show for it. She knew that getting a permanent visa depended on her having steady employment and seriously considered working for Tech Village. Then she got a new neighbor who worked as a bodyguard for Oliver Queen, the President of Operations at his family company, who just happened to be looking for an executive assistant.

So that’s how she ended up here, lying about being engaged to her boss of eleven months. Her very attractive, charming, former playboy of a boss. Felicity was screwed in a thousand different ways.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, realizing that her hands were gripping the arms of her chairs tightly. “I’ll go tell him that I lied. I can’t do this to you.”

Felicity expected him to move but Oliver stayed right where he was, looking up at her. The position was more intimate than it should have been. She tried not to notice how good his touch felt.

“I’m not going to let you get deported, Felicity,” he said.

“You can’t marry me,” she said loudly, hating how high her voice sounded. “I’m not going to drag you into this. My mouth just started moving before my mind could catch up with it. I’ll fix this, I promise.”

Oliver glanced around before standing up, holding his hand out to her. Felicity stared at him with uncertainty before taking it and letting him pull her up and into his office. The glass walls made it easy to see if anyone decided to come visit but the closed door let them have a little bit of privacy.

“Tell me everything,” Oliver said, removing his suit jacket to lay it over the back of his chair.

Felicity sat down on his couch, watching as he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and leaned back against his desk.

“You might have noticed that I talk a lot,” she began.

Oliver’s lips twitched up into an almost smile.

“It has not escaped my attention,” he said.

“You might have noticed that I also don’t talk a lot… about my family,” she said, folding her hands in her lap.

“I have noticed that,” he said, nodding solemnly.

Felicity took a deep breath before speaking again.

“My mother… she was so different from me. We had a hard time finding common ground when it came to just about everything. But she was still my mother and she did her very best. The summer after my sophomore year of college, she… died.”

Oliver looked as though he wanted to reach out to her as she tried not to rehash the very painful experience of losing her mother to a freak car accident.

“My father,” she pushed on, knowing that she couldn’t dwell if she didn’t want to cry. “I don’t really know what my father is cause he abandoned us. I barely remember him. So now I’m being told that I am being forced to go back to a place where I have nothing and no one.”

“Why?” Oliver said, shaking his head. “I thought things with your visa were going well.”

“They were,” Felicity said, dreading telling him this next part. “Until the trip to Russia. Technically… I wasn’t supposed to leave the country while my visa was being processed.”

He let out a harsh breath, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I wanted you to come on that trip,” Oliver said.

Felicity shot up to her feet, crossing the room to him.

“This isn’t your fault,” she said, reaching out to touch his arm only to change her mind at the last moment, letting it drop back to her side. “I said yes to going on that trip. I didn’t think about the consequences because…”

“Because I needed you,” he finished for her, nodding once. “And now you need me.”

She shook her head vehemently.

“I spoke in a moment of panic, Oliver, but I am not going to let you do this for me.”

“What choice do we have, Felicity?” he asked.

She turned away from him.

“I go back to Toronto for a year and reapply for a visa when I can,” Felicity said, pacing back towards him. “You find a new executive assistant from the multitude of women who would literally toss me from the roof of this building to take my spot.”

“That is not going to happen,” Oliver said, picking up his phone.

“What are you doing?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

He held up a finger as he dialed a number.

“Oliver,” she said in a low voice.

“Mr. Rosen,” he said cheerily as soon as the person on the other end answered. “How are you?”

Felicity’s eyes widened at the familiar name of his family lawyer.

“Stop,” she hissed.

“That’s good to hear. Hey, is your schedule pretty open today?”

“Oliver hang up the phone.”

“Perfect. Any way that you can meet me in about an hour?” Oliver asked with a charming smile on his face that no one could see but Felicity.

“Hang. Up.”

“The ICE field office.”

“Oliver,” Felicity drew his name out just like he did to hers when he was annoyed.

“Yes, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

“I am going to throw your phone out the window,” she threatened.

Oliver pulled the phone away for a moment, fixing her with a look.

“These windows don’t open,” he reminded her before going back to the call. “No there’s nothing for you to be concerned about. I’ll fill you in on the situation when we meet. Thanks Mike.”

With that, he hung up and looked at her triumphantly.

“This was your idea,” Oliver reminded her at the sight of her stormy expression.

“It’s a terrible idea!” Felicity declared.

He shrugged once, loosening his tie.

“You might want to clear my schedule for the afternoon,” Oliver said.

“You do realize this is illegal, right?” Felicity said, walking backwards towards his door.

“Won’t be the first law I’ve broken,” he said.

She let out a frustrated noise, wishing that she hadn’t said anything about marriage to her lawyer or her boss. This was going to end horribly. She knew what the penalty was for being caught in a lie when it came to immigration and marriage. Felicity just hoped that when they talked to an ICE official, they would warn him off in a scary enough way to convince him not to go through with it.

* * *

Fun fact about Felicity Smoak: she got very dehydrated when she was stressed. Guzzling water was her go-to way of coping with whatever was going on. Sometimes tequila replaced the water but that was a whole different story. And pretending to be engaged to her boss was definitely a stressful situation.

“I’m guessing something went wrong with Felicity’s visa,” Diggle said as they stepped into the lobby of the ICE field office.

“You can say that,” she admitted nervously, gripping the water bottle in her hand as they followed Oliver’s confident gait.

“So why is Oliver here again? With his lawyer?”

She didn’t know how to answer that, simply waving helplessly in their boss’s direction.

“Mr. Queen,” Michael Rosen said, looking somewhat stressed at the fact that he had no idea what was going on. “I admit you have me concerned.”

“It’s nothing to be worried about, Mike,” Oliver said, shaking his hand as Felicity unscrewed the cap of her water to take a long drink. “You know my bodyguard, John Diggle, and I’d like to introduce you to my fiancée, Felicity Smoak.”

The water nearly sprayed out of her mouth at the blasé way in which he said that, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Coughing and sputtering, she chanced a look at Diggle, who had a neutral look on his face but shock clear in his eyes.

“Sorry,” she wheezed, wiping her mouth and closing her water back up.

Oliver looked amused while his lawyer looked alarmed on Felicity’s behalf, clearly wondering if the fiancée of his client was about to choke to death right in front of him.

“It’s just so new,” Felicity said, managing a smile. “I’m not used to it yet.”

“It is new,” Oliver agreed with a nod, keeping up face effortlessly. “Felicity is also my executive assistant so you can see why we kept our relationship quiet. We wanted to make sure that it was real before going public with it. Honestly we haven’t even informed my family yet so I would appreciate it if you could keep it to yourself until we are ready.”

“Of course, Mr. Queen,” Mr. Rosen said, looking like he was reaching his own stress threshold. “That doesn’t explain why we are here.”

“I’m Canadian,” Felicity said.

The lawyer looked at her, wondering what that had to do with anything.

“Her visa application was denied,” Oliver explained.

“Oh dear,” Mr. Rosen said.

Not ten minutes later, they were sitting in the office of an ICE agent, with Oliver having smooth-talked them into being pushed to the front of the queue. Felicity usually hated watching him flaunt his family name but in this particular situation, she was ready to done with it all as quickly as possible.

“You, Mr. Oliver Queen, are engaged to your secretary, Miss Felicity Smoak,” the agent said, staring between them with cold grey-ish blue eyes.

“Executive assistant,” Felicity corrected him.

“Yes,” Oliver answered him confidently.

“And you’ve come because your visa application was denied.”

“I have,” she said, well aware that he was probably seeing right through this.

He nodded, sitting back in his chair.

“Agent Clark, if you could just tell us what our next step is, we’ll get out of your hair. You must be a very busy man,” Oliver said.

Felicity glanced over at him, wondering how he could be so calm while knowingly lying to a federal agent. Even his lawyer looked slightly nervous and he had no idea what was truly going on. When Agent Clark narrowed his eyes at them, she knew that he wasn’t fooled.

“Let me explain to you the process that's about to unfold. Step one will be a scheduled interview. I'll put you each in a room and I'll ask you every little question that a real couple would know about each other.”

It was hard to be intimidated by that. Felicity had spent more time with Oliver Queen over the past year than she’d spent with any other guy. This man would be hard pressed to find someone who knew more about her boss than she did. 

“Step two,” he continued on, staring directly at her. “I dig deeper. I look at your phone records. I talk to your neighbours. I interview your co-workers. If your answers don't match up at every point then you, Miss Smoak, will be deported indefinitely. And you, Mr. Queen, will have committed a felony punishable by a fine of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and a stay of five years in federal prison no matter who your father is.”

Felicity swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

“So… is there anything that either of you want to tell me.”

She kept her mouth shut, silently praying that Oliver would break down and say something. But instead he reached out, taking her hand in his. It was warm and somewhat comforting, enveloping her hand gently.

“Felicity and I have no intention of committing a crime, sir,” he said, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand in an intimate gesture that caused goosebumps to break out on her skin.

Her eyes flew to his face.

“Our relationship is unconventional and, yes, we have not been public about it. I’m certain that you can imagine why. But I can assure you that you will find that we are a committed couple.”

“Okay,” the agent said, leaning forward again. “Do your families know?”

“My parents are out of the picture,” Felicity said quickly, squeezing Oliver’s hand. “And I have no siblings or other family so… no one to tell on my side.”

Agent Clark nodded before glancing over at Oliver.

“We planned on telling my family this weekend,” he said as Felicity tried not to react to his words. 

She nodded when Oliver looked over at her, already aware of what was doing.

“Oliver’s father is celebrating his sixtieth birthday on Saturday,” Felicity said.

Felicity knew everything about it, having ensured that nothing would come up that day to distract Oliver from his father’s party. Now it seemed as though she was going with him to tell Robert and Moira Queen that their son’s executive assistant also happened to be his fiancée. What could possibly go wrong?

“I see,” Agent Clark said, picking up a post-it pad. “Well I expect both of you back here on Monday morning at eleven o’clock for your scheduled interviews. For your sake, I hope that your answers match up on every account.”

He handed the top note to Felicity as they stood.

“Thank you,” Oliver said, reaching out to shake his hand. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Felicity was definitely  _ not _ looking forward to it but she managed to keep her mouth shut all the way back down the lobby and out of the building. She steadily avoided Diggle’s stare and watched as Oliver stood several feet away from his lawyer exchanging a few hushed words. Then Mr. Rosen was walking away without looking back and Oliver strode over to them with his hands in his pockets.

“What did he say?” Felicity asked.

“He urged me to tell the truth if this was all a scheme to keep you from being deported,” Oliver said.

She stared at him, wondering if he was convinced yet. Somehow he seemed even more determined to do this and she was tempted to smack some sense into him.

“I told him that it’s real.”

“Were you not listening in there?” Felicity demanded.

His met her gaze, looking unconcerned.

“I know that the fine is probably nothing to you but five years, Oliver? All of the hard work that you’ve put into becoming essential to your father’s company means nothing if you wind up in federal prison. Not to mention that I’ll be deported with no hope of ever coming back. It’s not worth it.”

“None of that will happen. Who in this world knows me better than you do? Who has spent countless nights with me going over reports and project proposals?”

“And I love spending the night with you,” Felicity said before she could stop herself.

“These interviews are going to be a breeze,” Oliver said, ignoring the accidental innuendo.

“I am not going through with this,” she said with a shake of her head, turning to walk away from him. “This is my life and I get to choose. This is not happening.”

“Felicity I can’t do this without you.”

She stopped short, breathing deeply before turning to face him.

“Do what?” Felicity asked.

Oliver shrugged, stepping closer.

“Take your pick,” he said.

Felicity stared up at him, seeing only a serious look in his eyes. There was no playful mirth like she expected.

“I can help you interview new assistants from Toronto. Someone who can do exactly what I do.”

“No one can do what you do,” Oliver interrupted her.

“Well there’s no choice, Oliver. Even if we do go through with this, which we aren’t, I can’t be engaged to you and be working for you,” Felicity said.

Oliver sighed, tilting his head back as if praying for patience.

“Did you know that my mom worked at the company up until I was born?” he asked.

“Yes, everyone knows that,” Felicity said, knowing exactly why he was bringing this up. “But your mother also wasn’t working as your father’s secretary.”

“Executive assistant,” Oliver said, correcting her for once. “And we’ll figure it out. The VP of Technology is about to retire.”

Felicity’s eyes widened and she wondered if he might have hit his head on something. If he hadn’t yet, he was definitely about to.

“You cannot promote me to VP of Technology,” she hissed.

“Why not?” Oliver asked, tilting his head to the side.

Felicity stared at him with disbelief, wondering how he could be so incredibly ignorant.

“Because I am not going to be the girl who slept her way to the top,” she said, taking a step back.

“You haven’t slept your way to anything,” he said with a laugh.

“Try telling that to the gossip sites. I’m sure they’ll have a field day with this.”

“Aren’t you the one always saying that they’re ridiculous and irrelevant?” Oliver asked, reaching out to tug her back in with a hand on her elbow.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, hating how possible he was making all of this sound.

“There is so much at stake here,” Felicity said, almost certain that he hadn’t fully processed that yet.

“It’ll be okay.”

“The entire female population of Starling City  _ will _ be out for my head including, quite possible, your mother and your sister.”

“My mother and my sister will love you,” Oliver assured her.

Felicity rolled her eyes in response.

“We’ll get a divorce after an appropriate amount of time,” she said.

“Of course,” he agreed.

“And you’re okay with losing the title of hottest bachelor in the city?” Felicity said.

He grimaced, nodding his head.

“More than okay with it,” Oliver said, taking her by surprise.

Felicity wondered what it would take to convince him not to do this. They stared each other down warily, both wondering if this was really going to happen.

“So are we headed over to city hall?” Diggle said, breaking their attention away from one another.

“No,” Oliver said, stepping away from Felicity. “We have to tell my parents.”

Felicity nearly shuddered at the thought. Maybe their reaction would convince him to put a stop to this. Because if she was right, the Queens would definitely be less than thrilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **   
> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of Robert's birthday party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to this fic has been astounding. Thank you to everyone who has read and commenting. You all blow me away.
> 
> I am usually a big fan of writing angst and/or slow burn-ish fics but in this case, I'm going with light and fluffy throughout most of it. So pretty much anticipate that their feelings aren't going to remain hidden for long at all.
> 
>  
> 
> **In case you are a visual person like me,[here is Felicity's outfit for the party](https://urstyle.com/styles/1831903).**

The Queen mansion loomed menacingly before her as she carefully slid out of the town car that Oliver had sent to her apartment. Okay, so it wasn’t quite that dramatic. But she definitely felt a sense of foreboding as she prepared to go into the belly of the beast. Not only would Felicity be facing the Queen family, but several dozen of Starling City’s most affluent residents as well. Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to mentally prepare herself for the evening. That was when she saw Robert Queen himself greeting guests at the door.

“Oh boy,” Felicity said, her nerves flaring up again.

She was not ready for this at all. Oliver was supposed to be there as a buffer between her and his parents. Felicity had no idea how she would face the patriarch of the family alone. Just as she took a step forward, she heard a familiar voice call her name and nearly collapsed out of relief.

“Dig,” she said, reaching out to clutch his arm once he reached her. “You’re my knight in shining armor.”

He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head.

“We’re going in another way,” he said, tilting his head towards the side of the house.

“Oh thank God,” Felicity said, letting him lead her away from the crowd of well-to-does.

She walked slowly, careful not to fall while holding her dress above the ground. Diggle was patient with her, slowing his own pace. There was a slightly awkward atmosphere between the two of them and she sensed that he had something to say.

“What?”

He looked over at her with raised eyebrows.

“You have been impressively quiet about all of this. I know you have thoughts,” Felicity said.

Dig turned his head with a sigh.

“You don’t need me to tell you that this is a crazy plan, Felicity.”

“Well you can thank Oliver for it,” she grumbled.

“Really? He said it was your idea.”

She frowned as they reached a patio door, stepping back as he opened it.

“I came up with it,” Felicity allowed, dusting off her dress. “But I quickly backtracked and decided it was a bad idea. That’s when Oliver convinced  _ me _ to go through with it.”

“And now you think it’s a good idea?” Diggle questioned.

She shrugged, stepping inside with him. Felicity could hear the chatter of guests towards the front of the house as Diggle lead her past the kitchens, where the caterers were hard at work, and a formal dining room that was lavishly decorated.

“I think we can make it work,” she said.

“And what about the collateral damage that happens in the meantime?”

Felicity paused just in front of a secondary staircase, turning to face him.

“What collateral damage?” she asked.

“You and Oliver,” Diggle said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She stared at him, unable to comprehend his meaning. When he shook his head with an exasperated sigh, Felicity felt like she was missing something big.

“It won’t be the same between you two,” he said simply.

“We can keep this professional,” Felicity said with certainty.

Diggle looked at her skeptically.

“You wanna make that bet?” he asked with one raised eyebrow.

Felicity didn’t answer, pressing her lips together in a thin line as she looked away.

“You know I am in favor of you not being deported, Felicity. I just don’t want to see you, either of you, get hurt at the end of all this.”

“We can do this,” she said with a lot less confidence than before.

Diggle reached out, squeezing her shoulder lightly.

“Just be careful.”

She forced herself to meet his eyes.

“Did you give this same talk to Oliver?” Felicity asked, already knowing the answer.

“Something like it,” he said with a slight smile before nodding towards the stairs. “Third door on your right.”

She nodded, gathering her dress in one hand while holding the banister in the other as she made her way up. The second floor of the manor was far quieter. Felicity counted the doors carefully, not wanting to end up in the wrong room by accident. When she knocked on the third one, she tried not to fidget as she waited. It took just a few seconds for Oliver to answer the door and Felicity tried not to let her jaw completely drop. Never before had suspenders been equated with sexy in her mind but here he was, showing her a whole new world. His bowtie was hanging loosely around his neck, clearly waiting to be tied. The slightly disheveled look was definitely one of his best and Felicity had to force herself to stop checking him out. Dragging her eyes up, she noted with surprise that he was doing his fair share of staring. A flush rose to her cheeks as he took in every inch of her before finally meeting her gaze.

“Wow,” Oliver said.

Felicity beamed at him, resisting the urge to preen. If Oliver Queen thought she looked good enough for a wow, that was a pretty big compliment to her.

“Stole the word right out of my mouth,” she said.

“I’m not done yet,” he said with a wink, because he was clearly trying to kill her, before stepping to the side so that she could come into the room.

Felicity could easily tell that this used to be his bedroom before he found his own apartment. It had been cleared of a lot of personal items but there were still a few picture frames and keepsakes scattered around.

“I figured you’d be more comfortable if we walked into the lion’s den together,” Oliver said.

He walked into the bathroom but left the door open so that they could talk.

“I guess it’s too much to hope that I’d coast through this evening unnoticed?” Felicity asked.

“Not in that dress.”

She glanced down, running her fingers over the material of her skirt.

“Did you warn your parents?” Felicity asked.

Oliver had spent the day with his family, which was the reason that she showed up alone to the mansion. She half hoped that he’d revealed everything to them so that she didn’t have to be a part of that uncomfortable conversation. It was terribly cowardly of her, she knew, but she’d heard stories of how Medusa-like Moira Queen’s cold stare could be when she desired.

“I thought we’d do that song and dance together,” Oliver said, walking out of the bathroom with a smirk.

Felicity could smell the alluring hint of cologne that he’d applied. This entire situation felt more intimate than she cared to admit. Especially when he stood in front of the mirror and sighed with frustration as his fingers fumbled with his bowtie.

“C’mere,” she said, setting her purse down on the bed before crossing the room.

Oliver turned towards her, lifting his chin slightly so that she could tie it. They’d done this many times before when he was getting ready for a gala or something similar. This time was different. Something electric hung in the air between them. She sank her teeth into her lower lip, using the slight twinge of pain to keep from thinking about just how nice he looked and smelled. Oliver didn’t seem unaffected. One glance down told her that he was rubbing his index finger and thumb together in the way he always did when he was tense.

“All done,” she said, patting his chest just over the suspender.

Felicity lifted her eyes to meet his, painfully aware of just how close they were standing. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, the door opened behind him and their heads snapped around in time to see Thea Queen walk in. She stopped short, raising one eyebrow. Felicity quickly dropped her hand from Oliver’s chest as he cleared his throat, stepping around her to grab his tuxedo jacket from the bed.

“Everything okay?” he asked his sister, pulling it on.

“Just wondering when you’re going to come out of your cave,” Thea said, her eyes fixed on Felicity. “Who are you?”

The question was bold, a word that Felicity knew pretty much summarized everything about Thea. Oliver had countless stories about how unafraid she could be.

“Felicity,” Oliver answered, handing her purse over.

Thea’s eyes lit up with realization.

“Isn’t she your secretary?” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Executive assistant,” they both corrected her at once.

Thea’s eyes moved back and forth between the two of them as a grin bloomed on her face.

“Mom is going to lose her shit,” she said with a snicker.

“It’s not how it looks, Speedy,” Oliver said as Felicity stood in place awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

“Oh don’t worry, Ollie,” Thea said, shaking her head as she turned back the way she came. “You won’t be the only guy here to sleep with his executive assistant. But you might be the only one stupid enough to bring her to Robert Queen’s birthday party. Good luck.”

She was gone before either of them could say a word to correct her. Felicity looked at Oliver with wide eyes.

“Is it too much to hope that’s the worst reaction we get tonight?” she asked.

Oliver huffed out a laugh before reaching out to her. Felicity didn’t take his hand, glancing over at the door.

“This isn’t right, Oliver,” she said.

“Felicity…”

“I don’t want anyone thinking that you’re one of those guys. You’re so much better than that,” Felicity said.

“Well for one, I’m not sleeping with my assistant. I’m engaged to her,” Oliver reminded her, moving to her side. “And no matter what these people think, we both know the truth.”

“Yeah… that we’re in a fake relationship getting for real married so that I’m not dragged back to Canada kicking and screaming,” Felicity said, looking up at him. “Is there wine down there?”

Oliver nodded, holding his arm out to her.

“I’ll make the bar our first stop,” he said.

She nodded, sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow. Thea was at the bottom of the staircase as they made their way down, talking pleasantly with one of the guests that had stopped her. Felicity remained close to Oliver as heads started turning their way.

“You know those dreams that you have where you’re naked in front of a bunch of people?” Felicity asked as they made their way to the main parlor.

“Mm-hm,” Oliver said with a nod, smiling politely at the people they passed.

“This feels a lot like that,” she whispered.

His hand took hers, pulling it away from his arm only to place his hand on her back. His touch felt hot against the bare skin of her back and, though she knew the dress looked good on her, she wondered if she should have worn one without such a low cut in the back. When Oliver brushed a kiss over her temple, Felicity’s entire body broke out in goosebumps and she barely suppressed a shiver. He was just a very good actor from years of having all eyes on him.

“That feeling doesn’t really stop,” he whispered, guiding her towards the bar.

Though she was tempted to order a shot of something strong to calm her nerves but Felicity went with a rather expensive glass of red wine. Oliver ordered whiskey, sipping at the amber liquid while scanning the slowly filling room. Felicity knew the moment that his parents entered the room as he stiffened at her side. She reached for his hand without thinking, squeezing it lightly.

“Not too late to back out,” she said quietly, looking up at him.

His eyes lowered to hers and he shook his head subtly.

“I fully intend to marry you, Felicity.”

She inhaled deeply, hoping that he didn’t hear it. As they stared at each other, Felicity couldn’t help but recall Diggle’s warning. Because for the first time, she could see how this could get messy. And it wasn’t because of the threat of jail time or deportation. It was standing this close to Oliver felt really good. Far more good than Felicity was willing to admit. And she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same. Judging by the way his fingers skimmed over her back lightly, she had a feeling that the answer was obvious.

“My dad is about to make a speech,” Oliver said quietly.

“We should pay attention,” Felicity whispered.

He nodded, tearing his eyes away from her. She took a moment to breathe, taking a long drink of wine before focusing. Robert Queen was good at giving speeches, most likely from a lifetime of being in the public eye. Felicity could see the similarities between Oliver and his father. They both commanded a room almost effortlessly.

“I think you’ve heard me speak enough and I’m blocking the way to the bar so I’ll end with thanking my family,” Robert said, drawing a few gazes to Oliver and, by extension, Felicity. “My life is filled with many good things but none of them come close to the three of you. You have given me everything.”

Robert looked from his wife to his daughter and then scanned the room until his eyes found Oliver. They flashed with the slightest hint of surprise once he saw Felicity but quickly covered it up.

“I wouldn’t be who I am without any of you. Thank you,” he said, raising the glass of wine in his hand. “To my family.”

“To my husband,” Moira added before taking a sip of her champagne.

Everyone in the room followed suit, drinking to the Queens. As Felicity sipped at her wine, she saw Robert and Moira approaching them and took a longer drink, fighting the urge to step away from Oliver and flee the mansion entirely.

“Happy Birthday Dad,” Oliver said, letting go of her to hug him.

Felicity watched as he pulled away to kiss his mother’s cheek, wondering if she should make herself scarce. Moira looked straight into her eyes as Oliver pulled away, pinning her the spot.

“You’re Felicity Smoak,” she said.

Felicity would have been surprised if she wasn’t certain that Moira knew everything about everyone. She just seemed like that kind of person.

“Yes ma’am,” she said with a nod.

“Oliver’s assistant,” Moira told her husband as he looked at Felicity curiously.

“Ah yes,” Robert nodded, his eyes flickering over her. “I hardly recognized you, Miss Smoak.”

“Happy Birthday, Mr. Queen,” she said with a nervous smile.

Oliver reached out, taking her hand. Neither of his parents missed it, while Felicity didn’t miss the anger in Robert’s eyes and the cold disappointment in Moira’s. Her heart sank when they turned their attention on Oliver. His father simply shook his head, turning away from them. His mother stayed there, rubbing her thumb over the perspiration on her champagne glass.

“I expected better of you, Oliver,” she said, fixing Felicity with a critical glare before walking away as well.

The awkward exchange didn’t go unnoticed and Felicity seriously wished for a large hole to fall into right about now.

“I’m so sorry,” Felicity whispered to the floor, horrified at what she’d caused.

“I expected worse,” Oliver said with a resigned sigh. “Hey.”

His hand went to her chin, gently tilting her head up when she didn’t look at him.

“It’ll be okay,” he said confidently.

Felicity scoffed, tilting her head doubtfully.

“I’ll let you know if I feel like I’m in over my head,” Oliver said.

“No you won’t,” she countered.

The corner of his mouth quirked upwards.

“You know me too well.”

Felicity reached up, brushing her thumb over his cheek.

“Your mother and father should give you more credit,” she said.

Oliver tilted his head into her hand, looking at her warmly.

“Don’t slap me, okay?” he asked.

“Hmm?” Felicity said, confused.

He didn’t answer, bending down to brush a soft kiss over her lips. She stilled out of surprise for just a moment before pushing up just a little to kiss him back. When Oliver leaned away and gave her a warm smile, Felicity licked her lips and tasted the slightest bit of whiskey there.

“Why would I slap you?” she asked, certain that her face must have been the same color as her dress by now.

“We didn’t discuss kissing,” Oliver said with a shrug, brushing a loose lock of hair out of her face.

Felicity looked up into his eyes.

“I think that’s the sort of thing that goes with the territory. We are, after all, engaged,” she said with a small smile.

“So kissing, hand-holding… all that’s okay?” he asked.

She nodded a little too quickly.

“That thing you do with your hand on my back is good too,” Felicity added.

His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. Felicity forced herself to look away, knowing that she’d be in even more trouble if she kept staring.

“So give me a rundown of all the people in this room,” she said.

“Ah yes,” Oliver said, turning as well. “This is about to be your world too.”

Felicity wasn’t quite going to put it like that but now that she thought about it, she was going to have a pretty significant connection to the Queen name. That hadn’t really occurred to her when she blurted out that she was getting married to Oliver. As the party stretched on, she started to connect faces to names. Some of them were easy to spot, like Malcolm Merlyn and Walter Steele. Others had pretentious names to go along with their opulent wealth. After about thirty minutes, he walked with her out of the room and down the hall to a beautifully decorated study, whispering something in the ear of a waiter along the way.

“What’s going on?” Felicity asked, glancing around.

“It’s time,” Oliver said, loosening his tie a little bit.

She swallowed hard, knowing exactly what he was referring to. Taking deep breaths, she walked to the window and looked out at the darkening sky. Oliver kept his distance, letting her have her space. No matter how much she tried to prepare herself for this night, this exact moment was one that she’d never be ready for. When the door opened again, both of them turned to see Robert and Moira walk in, closely followed by Thea. None of them looked overly pleased to see Felicity there.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” Oliver said after a few moments of very awkward silence.

“I think we already know, Ollie,” Thea said, eyeing Felicity.

“No, you don’t,” he said, crossing to stand beside her. “I know what you think of me and Felicity. But you’re wrong.”

Robert shook his head, making himself up a glass of scotch from a drink cart against the wall.

“I think that this shouldn’t come as a surprise,” he said, turning to face Oliver. “It was only a matter of time before you fell back into old habits. I suppose we should have kept an eye out for who you hired as your executive assistant.”

Felicity’s eyes moved to Oliver. He held himself stiffly, his jaw working as he clearly tried not to get angry.

“That’s… not entirely fair.”

Everyone’s eyes fell on her, clearly not expecting her to speak. Felicity swallowed her nerves, meeting the piercing gaze of the CEO of the company where she worked.

“Isn’t it, Miss Smoak?” Robert asked.

“No, it’s not,” she said, standing her ground.

Oliver’s hand went to her back, the soft touch clearly trying to reel her in. She managed to control herself, paying no attention to it.

“Your son didn’t bring me here to rub an illicit affair in your faces,” Felicity said, stepping forward. “That might have been what the old Oliver would have done but you should probably give him a little credit.”

“We know our son,” Moira said, clearly unimpressed by her little speech.

“Then you should already know that he is every inch the man that you want him to be. Let him talk. I promise that what he has to say won’t be what you expect to hear.” 

“An executive sleeping with his assistant isn’t a new story,” Robert said.

“That’s not what’s going on here,” Oliver said, stepping up next to her. “If you won’t give me the benefit of the doubt, you should really give Felicity more credit than that.”

“Should we?” Moira said, raising her eyebrows at them both.

Thea stepped forward, effectively silencing everyone with a sigh.

“Can you all just shut up?” she said, clearly annoyed. “You’re so busy arguing about who should or should not get credit that you won’t just get to the point. What’s going on, Ollie?”

Oliver glanced down at Felicity and she nodded once, letting him know that she was ready. With a sigh, he took her hand in his and she squeezed lightly, letting him know that she was there.

“We’re engaged.”

Just like that, the atmosphere of the room changed completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **   
> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of Robert's birthday party plus Oliver and Felicity have a study session in preparation for their interviews.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I've said before, you have all surprised me in such a good way with the response to this fic. I am so glad that you all like it. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see your comments and reactions. I love it. Thank you so much.
> 
>  
> 
> **If you are a visual person like me, here are Felicity's outfits for the chapter:[Robert's Party](https://urstyle.com/styles/1831903) | [Oliver's Apartment](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832383)**

Felicity watched as Oliver’s family stared between them, clearly processing the new information. She briefly wondered if she should just leave them all to handle it as a family does. As if he sensed the direction of her thoughts, Oliver squeezed her hand in a way that told her he needed her there, not somewhere else. Felicity pressed herself to his side, giving a squeeze of acknowledgment.

“Engaged,” Moira finally said, testing the word.

“Yes,” Oliver said with a nod.

Thea stepped forward, looking slightly hurt. Felicity’s heart sank. She’d been counting on everyone screaming about the scandal when they went public with this. She didn’t really think about the hurt it could cause until she looked in the eyes of Oliver’s sister.

“You’re getting married and we’re just now meeting her?” she asked in a small voice, her eyes on Oliver.

“I wanted to tell you, Speedy,” Oliver sighed, stepping away from Felicity to pull her ino a hug. “We just wanted to make sure it was real before we told anyone.”

Thea stepped away from him, tipping her head back to look up at him.

“You could have told me,” she said.

“We didn’t want to put you in an uncomfortable place,” Felicity said, still feeling the need to defend him to his family.

Their eyes all went to her again.

“Uncomfortable place?” Thea repeated with a frown.

“They didn’t want to ask you to lie to us,” Moira said.

Felicity’s eyes flickered to Oliver and he tilted his head, telling her to come closer to them. She hesitated, feeling the awkward need to keep a distance between herself and the Queens.

“Are you pregnant?” Robert asked, finally speaking.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. It wasn’t an unfair assumption but one that they would probably have to deny more than once.

“She’s not pregnant, Dad,” Oliver said with a shake of his head. “Is it so hard to believe that I’m getting married because I’m in love?”

Just when Felicity thought that she couldn’t feel any worse, that pretty much did her in. She lowered her gaze to the ground, squeezing her eyes shut as tears threatened to gather in them. This wasn’t turning out as clean as she wanted it to. It was getting very messy. The lies fell far too easily off of Oliver’s tongue and she realized exactly what Diggle was trying to tell her.

“You’re in love?” Moira said, her voice changed completely.

Felicity didn’t see Oliver’s reaction as she gathered herself to keep from revealing everything on her face.

“If you’d get to know Felicity, you’d know that I didn’t really have a choice in the matter,” Oliver said warmly, making her heart squeeze painfully.

_Not real. Not real. Not real._

Felicity repeated the words over and over again in her head as she looked up with her poker face in tact. She gazed as happily as she could in Oliver’s direction, hoping that she looked like a woman in love.

“And you, MIss Smoak? You are in love with our son?” Robert asked.

He sounded more curious than accusing, which was a step in the right direction.

“He’s a wonderful man, Mr. Queen,” Felicity said, a smile tugging at her lips.

It was all too easy to say it because it was, in fact, true.

“I’m afraid he gave me as much of a choice as I gave him.”

“Well then,” Moira said, straightening her shoulders. “This is cause for celebration.”

She and Robert still looked slightly wary of the situation. Felicity found it hard to blame them. She knew that they were used to being on their guard around people, constantly anticipating the type of person who would take advantage of them. What made her feel so guilty was the fact that she was definitely taking advantage of Oliver’s kindness, whether he agreed with that or not. But Felicity didn’t have long to dwell on the thought because Thea was walking towards her with a tangle of emotions in her eyes.

“I’m sorry I misread the situation,” she said, stopping about a foot away with a remorseful expression on her face. “You and Ollie deserved better than that.”

Felicity stared at her with surprise, not expecting an apology.

“I understand why you thought what you did. Oliver and I prepared ourselves for that,” she said, reassuring the girl. “I’m just glad that all of you gave us the chance to explain.”

Thea smiled at her, a small smile but a genuine one. Then she was hugging Felicity, holding much more strength in her small frame than expected.

“I guess I should say welcome to the family,” she said with a small laugh. “I always wanted a sister.”

Felicity hugged her back, happiness and guilt rising in her in equal measure. As she pulled away, she gave Thea a smile in return before looking over at Oliver. His hands were in his pockets and he was nearly grinning at her. She stepped over to him, leaning up to kiss his cheek. His arm settled around her shoulders as she leaned into his side.

“We need to discuss making a public statement,” Moira said, looking over at Robert.

“Yes,” he nodded in agreement, setting down his nearly empty glass. “And you two need to meet with the family lawyers.”

Oliver tensed slightly next to Felicity but he nodded, skimming his nose over her temple in a gesture that felt so natural.

“We’ve been away from the party long enough.”

With that, Moira turned and took Robert’s arm, leading them all out. Thea gave Felicity and Oliver a sympathetic look, shrugging one shoulder. She was clearly used to this sort of attitude from her parents. Felicity was only glad that it didn’t turn into a shouting match. She only hoped that didn’t occur later when the Queen mansion wasn’t filled with guests. She was glad that Oliver had his own apartment so that he wouldn’t have to deal with that alone. As they followed the others back out to the party, she was surprised to see that Moira and Robert were waiting for them just before re-entering the parlor.

Even more surprising was the way that Moira turned out towards them with a smile, squeezing Felicity’s arm lightly before kissing Oliver’s cheek. Robert stepped forward, pulling Felicity into a hug before shaking Oliver’s hand firmly, nodding at them both. As they walked away, leaving her stunned at the strange behavior, Oliver’s hand found its way to her back once more. He seemed to gravitate towards the bare skin there, something she wasn’t about to complain about.

“It’s a statement,” he said quietly as Thea moved closer to them. “When we go public with the engagement, at least one person who just saw that exchange is going to be very eager to talk about it.”

Felicity nodded before something occurred to her.

“So they were showing support… in a weird way?” she asked.

“In their very own way,” Oliver nodded.

Thea, having heard the whole thing, grinned over at her.

“Welcome to being a Queen,” she said quietly, snagging a waiter as they passed.

She grabbed a champagne glass for the each of them, ignoring Oliver’s comment about her still being under twenty-one before lifting her glass.

“To Felicity,” she said, winking over at her. “Because you make my brother smile.”

Felicity stared at her in shock for a few moments before Oliver nudged her and she drank nearly half the glass in one gulp.

“Thank you,” she said to Thea.

“Just promise me one thing,” the other girl said.

Felicity nodded, knowing that it would be hard to deny her anything in this moment.

“I can come dress shopping with you, right?” Thea asked.

She didn’t expect that. But Felicity nodded nonetheless.

“Of course,” she said, smiling at her. “Who else would I take?”

Thea perked up even more, pressing a smacking kiss to her cheek before hugging Oliver and turning to disappear into the crowd. Felicity stood there for a few long moments, processing everything that had just happened before looking up at Oliver. He seemed just as surprised as her, while also looking pleased at the general lack of drama they’d experienced.

“She’s right,” he said, meeting her gaze.

Felicity tilted her head to the side.

“You do make me smile,” Oliver said.

She inhaled sharply at the honesty in his voice. They’d been hovering around an invisible line for the past few days and Felicity couldn’t help but feel as if they were about to leap across it. She needed space.

“I think I left my oven on,” she blurted out, wincing at the poor excuse.

Oliver didn’t look fooled at all. But he also looked at her with understanding.

“Tonight has been a lot,” he said with a nod, reaching down to take her hand. “I’ll take you home.”

“No you should be here for your dad,” Felicity said, shaking her head.

“The party is winding down,” he said.

Sure enough, she noticed some of the guests making their way towards the door, stopping to greet Robert along the way.

“Still…” Felicity said.

“They won’t care that we left,” Oliver assured her, tugging her back around to the side door as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll have Dig get the car.”

She knew that there was little use in arguing with him now. Once they were outside, she felt some of the tension loosen and she took a deep breath, tilting her head back to look up at the night sky. This was definitely messy now and Felicity had no idea how to tie it back up into the neat little box it had been before, if it was ever actually in there. When she felt Oliver tap her arm, letting her know that the car was there, she stepped forward to slide in first. The drive back was mostly quiet. They both clearly needed time to think. When they reached her apartment, Oliver insisted on walking her up there, despite her insistence that it wasn’t necessary.

“They’re going to ask our neighbors, remember?” he reminded her as they climbed out.

“Right,” Felicity nodded, remembering their interview as they walked up into her building.

That was their next big hurdle.

“We should prepare,” she said once they climbed on the elevator.

“Prepare?” Oliver repeated, looking amused.

“Yes,” Felicity said with a slight smile, bumping her shoulder against his. “You know, study? Make sure we’re not going to get arrested because you don’t know my favorite color?”

“I know your favorite color,” he said.

“Mm-hm,” she said.

He sighed, shaking his head.

“Studying was never my favorite past time,” he admitted, as if it was a big secret.

“No kidding,” Felicity snickered.

He knocked his foot against hers and she grinned up at him before stepping off of the elevator. The smile quickly dropped from her face as she realized just how easy it was to be so close with him. The past almost year had brought them to a very intimate knowledge of one another. It would make it somewhat easy to convince the immigration officers of their relationship but it would also make it easy to cross that line she was thinking about earlier. Turning around as she reached her door, she looked up at Oliver with a serious expression.

“We should also discuss some ground rules,” Felicity said.

He smiled at that.

“Like what?” Oliver asked.

“I don’t know,” Felicity said with a shrug. “The appropriate times to kiss. How often we should hold hands. That sort of thing.”

“Ah yes, the stuff of romance,” Oliver said, nodding his head with a fake solemnity. “Goodnight Felicity.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, cradling the back of her head gently as he did so. It wasn’t forced and no one was around to see it. Oliver did it because he wanted to. That was clear enough in his eyes as he pulled away and nodded at her. Felicity watched him walk back to the elevator and get on before finally unlocking her door and entering. She didn’t get far, closing her door and locking it back up before leaning her forehead on the cool wood.

“Number one rule,” Felicity sighed, pressing her fist into the door as she tried to mentally untangle her thoughts. “Don’t fall for the act.”

That rule would be the hardest of them all.

* * *

 

Felicity couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t have plans for her life. They changed over time, as she grew and matured. Being an astronaut turned into being a scientist turned into being a hactivist turned into being whatever would pay the bills. Being an executive assistant didn’t exactly take away from her plans. Felicity chose to think of it as a stepping stone to better things down the line. Way down the line, apparently. But there wasn’t a single moment in her entire life that she ever planned on being spread out on Oliver Queen’s living room floor with Chinese takeout containers as they planned out their engagement. Or rather, what led up to their engagement. The engagement that wasn’t real. It was a lot to take in.

“Whose apartment did we spent our first night in?” she asked, frowning at the list of questions that they were provided by a far more helpful immigration attorney than her own.

“Mine,” Oliver answered immediately.

Felicity peered up at him over the paper, shaking her head slowly.

“Why is that the wrong answer?” he sighed, ready to concede to her point.

It had pretty much been an established theme of the entire night. As good at Oliver was at pretty much everything he put his mind to, coming up with an entire fake relationship seemed to be Felicity’s niche, which made her think that maybe she should look for jobs in public relations when this was all over. Apparently putting a spin on things came easily to her.

“We were in a brand new, very secret relationship. We would obviously go to my apartment to avoid being spotted by paparazzi in case they decided to hang around,” Felicity said.

“But my bodyguard lives next door to you. Wouldn’t we want to keep it from him?”

“Dig knew the whole time,” she said, shaking her head. “There’s no way that we could hide it from him. Besides, a lot of our real late nights working happened at my apartment. Remember, we stick to the truth as much as possible so that these vultures don’t trip us up.”

“Your apartment,” Oliver said with a nod, scribbling it down.

Felicity could see that he was losing his energy and they were barely halfway through the list. The interview was the next day and they couldn’t afford to waste any time.

“Here,” she said, sliding the last of the egg rolls over to him. “I’ll go make us some coffee.”

Oliver let out a soft laugh as she stood.

“What?”

He shook his head, picking up the egg roll.

“You’ve never made me coffee before,” Oliver said.

“I promised you I wouldn’t,” Felicity said with a shrug. “But right now we’re not assistant and boss.”

“No we’re just engaged,” Oliver said with an amused shine in his eyes.

She stared at him for several moments before shaking her head as she turned to walk into his kitchen.

“It is going to take some time to get used to that,” Felicity muttered.

She went through the process quickly, coming back into the room with two steaming mugs.

“Next question?” she asked, handing Oliver’s over to him.

“Allergies,” Oliver said, already writing on the paper. “Peanuts for you.”

“And penicillin for you,” Felicity said before taking a long sip of her coffee.

He nodded, moving on.

“Do you and your partner use birth control? If so, what kind?”

“We are both virgins,” Felicity declared.

Oliver snorted into his coffee, shaking his head.

“Condoms?” he said seriously.

“Condoms,” she agreed.

They’d long since moved on from feeling uncomfortable at the questions. After Felicity had to inform Oliver of exactly which drawer she kept her clean panties in with very red cheeks, it felt like nothing else could bother either of them.

“Pause,” she said, remembering something.

Felicity stretched towards her purse, slipping her hand into the inside pocket to produce an extra copy of her apartment key.

“They might compare our key rings,” she said, holding it out to him.

“Do you need one of mine?” Oliver asked.

Felicity gave him a look.

“I’ve had a copy of yours since day four of working for you,” she said.

“I don’t remember giving you one,” he said, standing up to grab his keys from the kitchen counter.

“That’s cause you didn’t,” Felicity said before moving onto the next question. “Any birthmarks, tattoos, or piercings?”

She glanced up at Oliver as he walked back over.

“Other than the two standard ear piercings, you have an industrial piercing,” he said, gesturing to his own right ear. “And I’m fairly certain that you used to have your nose pierced.”

Felicity’s hand flew up to her nose but she didn’t ask how he knew. It might have been the same way she knew that he had a tattoo removed from his left shoulder blade.

“I have a birthmark on my upper thigh,” she said, leaning back against the couch behind her. “It’s a splotchy mess, no real shape to it.”

“How high on your thigh?” Oliver asked.

Felicity’s eyes snapped to him, her cheeks flushing slightly. It seemed to answer his question because he was back to writing with that slight smile on his face that he got whenever she unintentionally slipped out an innuendo. Come to think of it, he wore that smile way too much for her comfort.

“Do you have scars?” Felicity asked, changing the subject.

Oliver nodded, tapping his forehead right at his hairline. Felicity leaned forward, peering at the silvery scar.

“Teenage shenanigans?”

He shook his head, looking as though he wished that were true.

“More like twenty-three,” Oliver admitted.

Felicity pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

“I have a scar in my mouth. Wisdom teeth,” she said, sitting back again.

Oliver reached down, lifting up his shirt. Felicity’s eyes went wide for just a moment at the sight of his stupidly impressive abs before she realized what he was trying to show her. Her breath caught in her throat at the scar just along the bottom of his ribcage that had to be at least five inches long.

“Oliver,” she said, resisting the urge to run her fingers along the raised skin. “What-”

Felicity couldn’t finish, her eyes lifting to meet his.

“Three years ago,” he said, glancing down at the scar. “I got mugged just outside of Verdant. I was the last one at the club after it closed.”

“I never knew,” she said, barely noticing when he dropped his shirt back down.

“We kept it pretty quiet. I didn’t stay in the hospital for more than a few hours.”

“That was right around the time you started working for QC,” Felicity said, shifting back to sit again.

Oliver nodded, pulling one knee up to rest his arm on it.

“Nothing like getting jumped while drunk outside of your own club to realize maybe you need to change something about your life. I sobered up in that hospital missing a good amount of blood and I knew that something had to change.”

She stared at him with surprise, wondering how many people he’d told this story. Kicking off her shoe, she showed him the two-inch scar on the bottom of her foot.

“Stepped on glass,” Felicity said, trying not to remember the white hot pain and all the blood that followed.

“Ouch,” Oliver said with a sympathetic grimace.

He did reach out to trace the scar with his thumb, sending shivers from her feet all the way up the rest of her body. Felicity bit down on her lower lip hard. She was quickly learning that Oliver had a thing with touch. He liked it. A lot.

“We should move on,” she said, her voice shaking only slightly.

Oliver’s eyes snapped back up to hers and he nodded, pulling his hand away.

“What holidays do we celebrate?” he asked, his eyes going back down to the list.

Felicity toed her other shoe off, folding her legs beneath her as she leaned back on the couch once more. She felt Oliver’s gaze on her as she came up with the best version of the answer, pausing several times to make sure that he agreed. All the while, Felicity was repeating her new mantra in her head. _Don’t fall for the act. Don’t fall for the act. Don’t fall for the act._ It was only when thirty minutes passed and they were both running low on energy again that Oliver jumped up to grab the coffee this time.

Felicity watched him go, a pang of affection hitting her hard in the chest. Her eyes widened. That definitely was not supposed to happen. Slowly pulling herself up onto the couch, she watched him pour coffee into their cups before making hers up with the perfect amount of creamer and sugar. Once he picked up the mugs to head back into the living room, he paused when he noticed her watching him. With a slight smile, he tilted his head to the side. Felicity nodded her head in response to the unspoken question, lying to him.

No, everything was not alright. Because for the first time in a long time, she was finally being honest with herself. The truth was the answer to every question that she’d asked herself even before this immigration mess started. Why did she stick around in a job that she was overqualified for? Why did she drop everything, putting her green card at risk, to join Oliver in Russia when he needed her? Why did she never hesitate when it came to helping him? Why did she claim to be married to him, of all people? Why was it so easy to act as if she was in a relationship with him? The answer was quite simple.

Felicity was in love with Oliver.

She was so screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **   
> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the interviews comes. More people find out about the engagement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who is reading and commenting. I really can't say it enough. It makes me so happy that this has been well received.
> 
> For those who are visual people like me, here are Felicity's outfits:
> 
> [Interview](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832395) | [Club](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832408) | [Special Secret Surprise Something](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832410)

To say that Felicity was feeling high-strung would be an understatement. Not only did she have their interviews to contend with, but also her apparent feelings for Oliver. As if this couldn’t get any more complicated. He’d given her the morning off so that she could relax before the interviews. Little did he know that Felicity wasn’t sure she’d be able to relax again until all this was over and done with. She was sitting at her kitchen table with a half finished cup of coffee in her hands as she imagined all the ways in which this could go wrong. The worst case scenario was her and Oliver getting dragged out of the immigration office in handcuffs, an image which featured heavily in her dreams last night. When a heavy fist came down on her door, she jumped slightly and took a deep breath before standing. To her surprise, Diggle was waiting on the other side instead of Oliver.

“We’re picking up Oliver downtown,” he said.

“He’s not with you?”

“He had an errand to run,” Dig told her with a shrug.

Felicity grabbed her purse and locked up her apartment before following him out.

“It would really just make everything easier if I hopped on a plane to Canada right about now,” she muttered to herself as they rode down the elevator. “Oliver would be off the hook.”

“But you would be in Canada,” Dig reminded her.

She gave him a look.

“I’m beginning to think you were right,” Felicity admitted.

“About?”

“It’s messy,” she said.

“No kidding,” he huffed.

Felicity stopped him once they walked out of the elevator.

“Do you know why Oliver is so dead set on doing this? Nothing I can say will convince him that it’s a bad idea,” she said.

Diggle sighed, shaking his head.

“I’m not getting in the middle of this. What Oliver has going on in his head is his business. If you want to know, ask him,” he said.

“Yeah because Oliver Queen is great at sharing his thoughts and feelings,” Felicity said.

She thought briefly about his father’s birthday party and how earnestly he told his family that he loved her. If it were true, she had a feeling that Oliver would be a little more hesitant to admit it. So here she was, getting fake married to her boss that she was in love with when he had nothing but platonic feelings for her all so that she could avoid getting deported. Felicity had definitely mastered the art of finding herself in complicated situations.

“I should have moved to Gotham City,” she said to herself as they walked outside.

“Why is that?” Dig asked, looking amused.

She looked up at him as he opened the back of the town car for her.

“Because I doubt that Bruce Wayne would have gone along with this,” Felicity said before climbing in.

The ride to downtown was quick. Felicity was quite surprised when they picked Oliver up in the shopping district, of all places. She knew from personal experience that he didn’t like the crowded area at all and preferred to have a tailor come to him.

“You ready for this?” Oliver asked as he joined her in the backseat.

Felicity shook her head, gripping her purse tightly in both hands as she looked anywhere but at him.

“It’ll be fine,” he assured her, patting her knee.

Warmth rushed through her body at the touch and she pressed her lips together, briefly meeting Dig’s eyes in the rearview mirror as her cheeks flushed.

“Did you use the flash cards?” she asked, her voice slightly unsteady as she tried to distract herself from both the interview and Oliver’s proximity.

“They were very handy,” he said with a nod.

Even though she wasn’t looking at him, Felicity could hear the smile in his voice. She didn’t say anything else, though she was mentally calculating how likely she would be to survive if she jumped out of the car and rolled into the street to escape. She’d get a few bumps and scrapes to be sure but she might be able to make it look cool. Of course Oliver would probably jump out after her and make it look way cooler, so that plan was pretty much useless. Other than outright confessing when they walked into the building, which would fulfill her fear of getting them both arrested, there was no way out of this.

“You’re being uncharacteristically quiet,” Oliver said, concern in his voice.

“Just trying to remember the words to _O Canada_ ,” Felicity said, tapping her foot against the floorboard. “Something about glowing hearts and True North. You know, I don’t like maple syrup that much. Maybe that’s why they kicked me out the first time. I’m going to end up moving to Greenland or something. I look ridiculous in a snowsuit. They’ll mock me in Greenlandic.”

“You’re not moving to Greenland,” he said, amused by her rambling.

“Iceland then. Good thing I like the northern lights.”

“Felicity,” Oliver said, finally pulling her gaze to him. “This is going to be easy. You said yourself that this interview isn’t going to be a problem.”

She stared at him, the question on the tip of her tongue. _Why_ was he doing this? She was afraid to know the answer. He said that he needed her before because he couldn’t do what he did without her. Felicity was useful. Nice to know. But she couldn’t help but wonder if it went deeper. Or maybe she just wanted it to go deeper. She kept her mouth shut, nodding once.

“It’ll be fine,” she said, looking out of the window again just as they pulled up to the building.

Felicity waited on Oliver to get out but he didn’t move. When she glanced over at him questioningly, she saw him having a silent conversation with Diggle, who finally got out of the car, leaving them alone.

“What’s going on?’ she asked, confused by their strange behavior.

Oliver inhaled deeply before turning to face her.

“There’s just one more detail,” he said, pulling a small black box out of the pocket of his coat.

Felicity’s heart stuttered and she breathed out his name, shaking her head. They could have done without this particular detail. It wasn’t anyone’s business if they didn’t have an engagement ring. But Oliver didn’t seem to care about that. He gave her a slight smile that had her chest warming in response. Then he popped open the box and she ceased breathing entirely for several moments. [The square-cut diamond was gorgeous enough in itself but the tinier diamonds set into the silver band made it sparkle even more](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832410).

“What were you thinking?” she said, shaking her head.

“We all have our parts to play,” Oliver said, pulling the band out of the plush cushion before setting the box on the ground. “And no one would believe that Oliver Queen would give his fiancée anything but the best.”

“It’s too much,” Felicity admonished him.

She watched, frozen in place, as he slid the ring home onto her left finger. It fit just right, which didn’t come as a surprise at all.

“It’s perfect,” Oliver said.

She couldn’t agree more, but it still felt like weight on her finger reminding her that this was not an ideal situation. Oliver took her hand before she could let the guilt take hold, tugging her out of the car and onto the sidewalk. She was still transfixed by the ring on her finger, especially now that the sunlight was glinting off of the flawless diamonds. Oliver was good, she had to give him that. If anything, this ring alone might just be the convincing factor for them. Because who would buy a ring that was undoubtedly worth tens of thousands of dollars for someone who wasn’t really their fiancée? Oliver Queen, that’s who.

“Careful with that thing,” Dig said, pulling her attention away from the ring. “You could blind somebody.”

“That’s the plan,” Felicity said shakily, squeezing Oliver’s hand. “Blind Agent Clark so that he can’t arrest us.”

“C’mon,” Oliver said with amusement, leading them into the building.

His lawyer was there once again, waiting beside her own immigration lawyer who looked like he was sweating bullets. Felicity knew how he felt.

“Mr. Queen, I just want to make sure that you are absolutely certain about this,” Mr. Rosen said.

“Same with you, Miss Smoak,” Mr. Bernheimer said, looking at her.

Her and Oliver exchanged looks before he spoke.

“There’s nothing to be worried about,” Oliver said with ease.

“I’m feeling confident,” Felicity lied.

Neither of the lawyers looked all that convinced but they relented anyway.

“After you,” Mr. Rosen said.

Felicity and Oliver took the lead, followed closely by Diggle and the other two men. As soon as they stepped inside, they were taken back to Mr. Clark’s office. But he stepped out before they could even see the inside, that same knowing look on his face as he took them in. His eyes zeroed in on the ring rather quickly.

“An elegant choice,” he said, looking up at Felicity.

She forced a relaxed smile to her face, leaning into Oliver’s side.

“He has good taste,” Felicity said simply, looking up at him.

“In many ways,” Oliver agreed.

“As much as I hate to split the happy couple up,” Agent Clark said, not buying it for one second. “You’ll have to go into two different rooms for the interviews. Your lawyers can remain with you but they cannot interfere. Nothing is personal today, for either of you. I would start getting used to the fact that we are going to know everything. Follow me.”

Felicity swallowed hard as they went down the hall and took several turns before ending up at two rooms that were side-by-side. One peek into the window of one showed a sparse room with a table in the center and two chairs on either side of it. It looked like every interrogation room she’d seen in every police procedural show. Felicity had the feeling that it was supposed to be as intimidating as it looked. Oliver took her attention away, cupping her face in both hands.

“I’ll see you when it’s done,” he said before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

Felicity pushed up on her toes, wrapping her hands around his wrists. Then he was stepping away, winking at her once before heading to his own room. She was left with pink cheeks and tingling lips, pressing hand over her fluttering heart as she headed inside of her own room. As she sat down, Felicity realized just how cold all of this was, right down to the look on Agent Clark’s face. It came as no surprise that she was the one he was interviewing. He wanted to break her down, she knew that much. Clearly he thought she was the weakest link. Well, Felicity Smoak could rise up to any challenge. Folding her hands on the table, she met his eyes without hesitation and waited for him to begin.

“When did you meet Oliver Queen?”

* * *

 

Forty-five long minutes later, they were back in Agent Clark’s office. He held two files filled with every answer that Felicity and Oliver had given.

“It will take about a week to review everything. I will be in touch. Your lawyers assure me that the wedding will take place quite soon,” he said.

“Within the month,” Oliver said with a nod.

Felicity kept her face carefully neutral, though she hadn’t been given this particular piece of information. A quick wedding would do nothing to silence the inevitable accusations of either being a golddigger or pregnant, or quite possibly both. She’d just have to wear some of her tightest dresses for a while. No billowing fabrics for her.

“You are free to go, for now,” Agent Clark said.

“Thank you,” Oliver and Felicity said as politely as they could before gathering themselves, their belongings, their lawyers, and Diggle.

As they walked out, some of the nervous energy seemed to dissipate. Felicity felt a little bit lighter on her feet as she started to believe that they might actually make it through this. That was, if they didn’t find fault in the interviews, if Oliver’s family accepted the engagement, if the public at large didn’t crucify them for it, and if Felicity could keep her feelings under wraps. If all of that could go well, then they had a chance at making this work. Yeah, they were probably completely screwed. But at least for now they could focus on something other than the interviews, like the actual work that Oliver and Felicity had to do.

“I’m glad that’s over,” Felicity said thirty minutes later as they walked out of the elevator at Queen Consolidated. “We can maybe take a few days off. Relax with some wine and a warm bubble bath.”

“Am I invited?” Oliver asked over his shoulder.

She let out a laugh, shaking her head.

“You are definitely _not_ invited. My baths are for me and me alone,” Felicity said, setting down her purse and booting up her computer before picking her phone up to check her messages. “You are welcome to take a bath all on your own.”

“That takes the fun out of it,” Oliver said teasingly.

She opened her mouth for a witty retort but quickly snapped it shut when she heard a familiar voice on the other end. By the end of the message, all of her good humor was gone. Oliver must have seen the look on her face through the glass wall that separated his office from her desk because he was walking back out again.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

Felicity put down the phone before looking up at him.

“Your mom called,” she said, tapping her fingers on the desk nervously. “She wants to have dinner tomorrow to discuss the plans for our engagement party.”

Oliver didn’t look surprised, though he did sigh and rub at his jaw.

“We’re having an engagement party?” Felicity asked.

“I’m sure she’s already called the caterers and a florist,” he said, bracing both hands on her desk. “And if I know my mom, which I do, she expects us to be public by the end of the week so that she can start inviting guests.”

Felicity’s mouth went dry as she nodded, taking in the information quietly.

“I’m guessing I don’t get my nice relaxing bubble bath tonight,” she said quietly.

Oliver shook his head, giving her an apologetic look.

“I’m going to call Tommy,” he said, straightening up.

“Why?” Felicity asked.

“Because there’s no better way to go public with a secret engagement than at the best club in town,” Oliver said with a grin that looked a little forced just before he disappeared back into his office.

She watched him go with a weight on her chest, forcing her to take deep breaths to calm herself. She had a feeling that this wasn’t entirely about their engagement. Though he’d grown a lot, she had the feeling that there would always be a part of Oliver that pushed against his parents and their expectations. It just hadn’t occurred to her until now that the fake engagement might be another way of crossing their line. She sank down into her chair slowly, wishing for at least the hundredth time that she’d taken her deportation in stride rather than finding this messy, most likely extremely harmful way out. That would have been a lot easier.

* * *

 

Verdant was everything that she imagined it to be. Even after nearly a year of working for Oliver, she hadn’t seen the inside of it until now. He was technically still a part-owner in the club, meaning that weekly appearances were normal for him. What wasn’t normal was the presence of his executive assistant at his side with a big diamond on her left hand. To his credit, Oliver was doing a great job of taking a lot of the attention away merely by looking as good as he did. The dark grey suit fit him perfectly and the lack of tie combined with the open collar was enough to make her stare, much less the rest of the female population inside of the club.

“Let’s head up to the VIP section,” Oliver said, pointing to the stairs.

Felicity nodded, making her way towards them with him close behind.

“I guess no man ever did wrong by calling his fiancée a VIP,” she said.

Oliver’s answering laughter was just loud enough for her to hear it over the thumping music. The man guarding the section stepped aside with a nod towards both of them. The only other people there was a small group of socialites that threw curious looks towards Felicity and Oliver before whispering amongst themselves. It didn’t take long for Felicity to find herself with a glass of red wine in one hand as she stood by the railing overlooking the ground floor. She’d never been a huge fan of nightclubs but she couldn’t deny that it wasn’t too bad up here. Especially when Oliver’s arm slid around her and gripped the railing, his chest nearly pressed to her back.

“You did a really good job of building this up,” Felicity said, leaning back into him ever so slightly.

She expected him to pull away, even though he was the one who came to stand behind her. But he didn’t even tense.

“Tommy’s really helped it flourish,” Oliver said with a shrug.

“It wouldn’t exist without you, though,” she said, letting her eyes drift over the dancing patrons and the fully stocked bar before coming to rest on the green sign on the wall. “It’s a highly successful business. You should be proud.”

She didn’t see Oliver’s reaction to her words but she did feel his hand lift to pull her hair back over her shoulder.

“Is this okay?” he asked, lips brushing over her ear as his hand fell down to her waist.

Felicity knew what her answer should be. Her mind shouted at her to take a step back and breathe but then his thumb brushed over the skin revealed by the cutouts in her dress and her mind fell silent.

“It’s very convincing,” Felicity said with a nod.

“Good.”

Oliver couldn’t know that he was igniting her from the inside out with the simple touch. Felicity took a long drink of wine that did absolutely nothing to quell the fire in her veins. Heat pooled in her lower belly as she fought to breathe normally, not wanting to alert him to just how affected she was. Then Tommy Merlyn called Oliver’s voice from behind and she nearly let out a sob of both relief and frustration when he stepped away. Taking a moment to gather herself, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning to face the two men. Oliver pulled away from Tommy’s embrace with a relaxed smile, his hand finding its way to her back.

“Miss Smoak,” Tommy said, his eyes taking her in from head to toe before meeting hers. “You look absolutely delicious.”

He reached out, taking her right hand to press a kiss to the back of it with an roguish grin. Felicity couldn’t help but laugh, especially when he winked up at her. She had met him many times when he came through the office to see Oliver and each time was a delight.

“Tommy,” Oliver said, the slightest hint of warning in his voice, much to Felicity’s surprise.

His friend didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“You must have some divinely gifted patience to deal with this grump all the time,” Tommy said, straightening up.

“Yeah, I kinda like him a little,” Felicity said teasingly, looking over at Oliver.

Oliver reached down, taking her hand. Tommy’s eyes tracked the movement before finally settling on the ring.

“Whoa,” he said, looking up from Felicity to Oliver. “You’re engaged?”

“Yeah we are,” Oliver said with a nod, squeezing her hand. “We’ve decided to go ahead and take things public.”

“Good for you,” Tommy said with a grin, clapping his shoulder. “I always knew there had to be something going on there. All that tension and stuff.”

Felicity’s smile faltered and she glanced over at Oliver, who was frowning at Tommy as he turned around.

“Laurel!”

Oliver’s hand tightened around hers as she panicked slightly. Of course there was a chance that Laurel, gorgeous Laurel, would be there. She was, after all, married to Tommy Merlyn. But she was also Oliver’s ex from a long time ago. Felicity had never met the woman and didn’t think she would ever have to. Yet here she was, faced with one of the best lawyers in Starling City.

“Ollie,” she said, the smile on her face warm.

Clearly all of the bad drama of the past was water under the bridge because the kiss she laid on Oliver’s cheek was very friendly. _She’s married,_ Felicity hissed to herself. _And even if she wasn’t, you don’t get jealous. None of this is real. Do not fall for the act._

“How are you, Laurel?” Oliver asked.

“Everything is great,” she said with a smile before her eyes moved to Felicity. “Oh God. I’m sorry for being rude. I’m Laurel.”

She reached out a confident hand. Felicity pulled her own from Oliver’s hand to shake it with a nervous smile.

“Felicity,” she said.

“They’re engaged,” Tommy said.

Laurel’s eyes moved to her left hand. Felicity was just starting to get used to that being the first thing that people looked at. Maybe Oliver did have it right and it was a good idea to have a ring there. Not that she would tell him that.

“Congratulations,” she said, grinning up at the both of them.

“Thank you,” Felicity said as Oliver’s arm wrapped around her waist.

“When is the big day?” Tommy asked.

“Soon,” Oliver said as she took a drink of wine. “My mom has only started in on the engagement party but I’m sure the wedding invitations will follow pretty quickly. We never wanted a long engagement.”

He looked down at Felicity and she nodded in agreement.

“We’re ready,” she said, gazing up at him. “Why wait?”

“That’s exactly what Tommy and I did. I don’t think my mom was too happy that our engagement was only three months but it’s what made the two of us happy,” Laurel said, reaching down to take Tommy’s hand. “Are your parents coming to town, Felicity?”

Her heart fell and she shook her head, looking down at her glass. It was better this way. She wouldn’t have wanted to put her mom through all of this. But Felicity couldn’t deny that it would have been easier to have her here.

“Felicity’s parents are no longer around,” Oliver said, rubbing her back comfortingly.

It helped more than he knew. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on him at her side before lifting her head to meet Laurel’s horrified eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“It’s fine,” Felicity assured her. “You couldn’t have known.”

Laurel still looked apologetic but they quickly moved on as Tommy asked how Oliver was doing at the company. Felicity was relieved when the conversation moved on and even found herself having fun with Tommy, Laurel, and Oliver as the night went on. They were a comfortable couple to hang out with and she was able to forget everything and have fun for a while. When it came time to leave, she was feeling much lighter than she had at the beginning of the day.

“That was nice,” she said once they got to the bottom of the steps, reaching for Oliver’s hand without thinking. “I’m glad I got to meet them.”

“I’m happy you like them,” Oliver said, keeping to her side as they weaved through the crowd. “They’re important to me.”

Felicity gave him a small smile as they reached the door. Nothing prepared her for the onslaught of flashing lights that greeted them before they even stepped outside. Diggle was there in an instant, pushing ahead through the crowd of paparazzi as Oliver drew her in close with an arm around her shoulders. Felicity tried to keep her panic to a minimum, turning her face towards Oliver as they made their way out to where the town car was waiting. People were shouting to Oliver every which way, wanting to know her name and what the nature of their relationship was. Felicity’s relief was overwhelming when they reached the car. Oliver and Diggle stood between her and the reporters as she clambered in as quickly as she could without giving everyone a show up her very short dress.

“Is she your girlfriend, Oliver?” one man yelled.

Felicity waited for Oliver to get in but when she looked over, she saw him turning around to face the reporters.

“She is my fiancée,” he said loudly, making her breath catch in her throat. “That’s all I have to say on the matter.”

Then he was in the car and the door was slammed shut, cutting them off from the frenzy. Felicity pressed a shaking hand to her chest as her heart pounded away. Oliver noticed her state right away, drawing her into his arms. She let her head rest on his shoulder as she closed her eyes and breathed in his comforting scent.

“I’m sorry about that,” Oliver whispered into her hair, rubbing his hand up and down her arm soothingly. “We’ll avoid it in the future, I promise.”

Felicity nodded without saying a word, remaining firmly ensconced in his arms as Diggle pulled away from the club. They stayed like that the entire trip to her apartment and for just a few minutes, she was able to believe that this was real. With startling clarity, she realized that it was officially too late for them to back out now. The entire world would know by morning. Everything was about to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **   
> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Felicity copes with the various articles that start to come out, she finds herself growing closer to Thea as the line between her and Oliver blurs even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all. So very much. Thank you for your support. I really couldn't do this without you. Thank you so so much.
> 
> I also can't believe that I've passed 6000 hits AND 500 kudos for this fic. You are all truly amazing. I am a lucky girl.
> 
> **Felicity's outfits for the chapter:[At the Office](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832429) | [Queen Mansion](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832436)**

Felicity sat very still at her desk, tapping her fingers unconsciously as she scrolled through the various articles that had popped up since last night.

**STARLING CITY BILLIONAIRE TYING THE KNOT**

**QUEEN CONSOLIDATED HEIR SPOTTED AT VERDANT WITH BLONDE BEAUTY**

**ONE OF AMERICA’S HOTTEST BACHELORS IS NO LONGER ELIGIBLE**

**30 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OLIVER QUEEN**

**WEDDING OF THE YEAR?**

**WORKPLACE ROMANCE GOES PUBLIC**

Some of them mentioned her name. They’d done their research. The ones that didn’t called her a mysterious blonde. A few of the worst ones came to the same conclusion. She was an unknown player in this world of prosperity, prestige, and power. That meant only one thing to the tabloids. She was out for herself and Oliver was her poor victim. She barely heard the elevator ding as she scanned an article that had no problem calling her a golddigger. An unnamed source that was at Verdant last night reportedly saw Tommy and Laurel Merlyn giving her the cold shoulder. Felicity had never felt quite so this sympathy for the Queen family. She’d been dealing with this for less than twelve hours and she was almost ready to find the nearest deep hole to jump right in.

“Hey.”

She slowly lifted her eyes, meeting Oliver’s uncertain gaze. He had two cups of coffee in his hands.

“I can’t be trusted,” Felicity said.

Oliver frowned at her, clearly confused. She held up her left hand to show him the ring that he’d given her the day before.

“I almost dropped this in my bathroom sink last night and I nearly left my apartment without it this morning,” she said, dropping her hand back to the desk. “Maybe I should anonymously tip off TMZ. Any good golddigger wouldn’t be so careless. Maybe they can give me some tips on how to be better at this.”

Oliver let out a sigh as she stood, picking up his phone messages.

“You can’t read that stuff, Felicity,” he said, following her into his office.

She stopped behind his desk, laying the phone messages atop his keyboard.

“I like the guy who called me a blonde beauty. He might be invited to the wedding,” she said, brushing her hand over the back of his chair. “The one who accuses me of screwing my way up every single rung of the corporate ladder, however, is definitely not invited. Put him on the blacklist, or whatever.”

“You know that most of that shit isn’t true,” Oliver said, setting both of the coffees down on his desk.

She blinked up at him.

“You mean I haven’t been slowly brainwashing you _and_ your father to hand me the entire company and the Queen fortune along with it?” Felicity asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Then what the hell have I been doing around here? My actual job? Impossible.”

Oliver’s entire body relaxed and he shook his head with a small smile.

“Maybe I am as nefarious as they say,” she said, tapping her chin thoughtfully as he rounded the desk. “I did steal your fries that one time at Big Belly. I am quite the crafty villain.”

He gathered her in a hug before she could say anything else, his strong arms holding her gently. Felicity laid her head on his chest, taking a deep breath and letting his embrace comfort her as her arms slid around his waist, clasping together at the small of his back.

“I’m sorry about all of this,” he sighed into her hair.

Felicity shrugged as best she could without pulling away. She was perfectly willing to admit that hugging Oliver like this was probably a really bad idea, considering her recent realization. But it was also what she needed, so she was willing to be a little bit reckless with her heart if it meant getting a little bit of comfort.

“I came in early so that I wouldn’t have to face anyone,” she said quietly, staring at the elevator warily. “I don’t want to know some of the things that they’re calling me.”

“All good things, if they value their job security,” Oliver said, his voice getting slightly growly.

She let out a laugh.

“Maybe you should draft a memo,” Felicity said, amused at the mere thought of it. “Here are the acceptable things to call Felicity Smoak. You may be surprised to find that ‘greedy whore’ is not on the list.”

He tensed at her words and she drew away to look up at him.

“My skin is pretty thick, Oliver. All of the Canuck jokes at college really helped me out with that.”

“Maybe you should have taken the day off,” he said.

“No,” Felicity said, shaking her head as she stepped away from him. “Hiding away doesn’t do anything. We have to go on with our lives. We do have work to do that doesn’t involve faking an engagement.”

With that, she turned to walk out, grabbing one of the coffees off of the desk as she went.

“Your first meeting is at ten,” Felicity called over her shoulder before leaving his office.

She sat down at her desk, taking a long drink of her coffee as her eyes returned to the article on her screen. With a sigh, Felicity exited out of it and leaned back in her chair, letting her eyes flutter closed. This was going to be a very long week. She still wasn’t entirely sure that she’d survive it. After letting herself stew in self pity for a couple of minutes, Felicity sat up straight, took a deep breath, and got to work.

* * *

The morning was relatively easy. It was only when Oliver left for a lunch meeting that she was stuck on her own to decide whether she wanted to brave the public or stay at her desk and starve. Then Thea Queen breezed out of the elevator looking poised and determined.

“I have a lunch reservation for two at The Palm,” she said.

“I’m sorry, Oliver isn’t here,” Felicity said, glancing sideways at the empty office. “He just left for a lunch meeting.”

“Then it’s a good thing that I made the reservation for the two of us.”

Felicity looked up at her, blinking several times as she tried to understand.

“You want to go to lunch with me?” she asked, surprised.

“Of course,” Thea said as if it was obvious. “You’re about to be my sister-in-law and I barely know anything about you. We need some bonding time.”

She didn’t really know what to say. Felicity knew from the way that Oliver talked about her that Thea could be a whirlwind. It was hard to want to say no to her, especially with the slightly pleading look in her eyes.

“Oliver will expect me back,” she said with uncertainty.

“Ollie already knows that you’ll be a little late. I cleared it all with him,” Thea said.

With no other excuses, Felicity grabbed her purse from the floor.

“I’ve never been to The Palm,” she admitted as they walked to the elevator.

“You’ll love it,” Thea said, grinning triumphantly.

The elevator came fairly quickly, the perks of having an elevator just the higher executive floors. As soon as the doors closed and they began riding down to the lobby, Thea let out a gasp and grasped her hand, lifting it up.

“Damn,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t tease Ollie for this. It’s beautiful.”

Felicity watched as she admired the ring. It was hard not to like the other girl. Despite a rough start, she genuinely thought that Thea was a good person and that she had a certain protectiveness over her brother. It made guilt rise in her chest. If Thea knew what was really going on, she’d probably hate Felicity.

“I told him that it was too much,” Felicity said, swallowing the urge to admit to everything. “I would have been okay with a simple band.”

Thea grinned at her.

“You may as well get used to it, Felicity. We Queens like to do things the right way,” she said just as the elevators opened.

As they stepped out, Felicity felt every single eye turn her way. She tried to look as aloof as she could but the her cheeks started to flush before she could help it. It wasn’t like when she went anywhere with Oliver. Before she faded into the background, just like Diggle did. No one cared about Oliver Queen’s executive assistant. Not until now, apparently. She lifted her chin, taking a deep breath before stepping forward. To her surprise, Thea hooked their arms and met everyone’s gaze boldly as they fell into step together, walking towards the doors. Felicity nearly stopped in place when she saw the photographers that hadn’t noticed them yet.

“It’ll be okay,” Thea said, sensing her anxiety. “Just a few steps and some questions. That’s it.”

Felicity had the feeling that Thea took them out this way on purpose.

“Questions?” she said, her voice slightly higher than usual.

“Trust me,” Thea said before tugging her outside.

The paparazzi surged forward at the sight of them but Queen Consolidated security intervened, keeping them at a safe distance. Thea took Felicity’s hand, squeezing it before they walked down the steps. Questions came from every which way, some of them worse than the night before. She felt a stab of fury at some of the things they actually said. When they reached the town car that waited at the curb, Thea didn’t slide into the open door, turning around with a smile on her face.

“I couldn’t be happier for my brother and his fiancée,” she declared, tugging Felicity around to face them as well. “Felicity makes Oliver happy. There’s not much more I could ask for. She’s going to be a great addition to my family.”

Felicity tucked her hair behind her ear and managed a small smile as the cameras flashed nonstop in their direction.

“Are you pregnant, Felicity?”

She didn’t know who asked it but she quickly shook her head.

“No I’m not pregnant,” she said after an encouraging nod from Thea. “But thank you for that. I’m seriously considering cutting back on the Big Belly Burger takeout. My cholesterol will thank you.”

Scattered laughter broke out from the photographers.

“Thea, is it true that your parents threatened to disown Oliver upon learning about the engagement?”

Thea scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Of course not,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “They did, however, threaten to kick him out of the family Christmas photos if he insists on growing the same ridiculous goatee that he did last year. But believe me, they are doing the entire world, and Felicity, a favor.”

Felicity smiled wider at Thea’s effortless handling of the paparazzi. In fact, she was even learning from the younger woman. Apparently, it was better to tease a little and answer some questions than ignore them entirely.

“Felicity do you have your eyes on the Queen family fortune?”

Her smile faltered at that but she recovered after a moment.

“No,” she said with a shake of her head, stepping backward towards the town car. “But I do have my eyes on a fabulous lunch with my future sister-in-law. Excuse us.”

Climbing into the car, she was quickly followed by Thea as they shouted more questions that would go unanswered for now.

“I’m sorry,” the other girl said, looking slightly chagrined. “I thought it would make it better if people saw me put my support behind the two of you.”

Felicity looked over at her with wide eyes, realizing that Thea was trying to help her with all of that.

“Thank you,” she said, her smile reaching her eyes this time. “And don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”

“You did really good,” Thea said, beaming at her. “But I just promised Ollie that I’d take care of you. He’s probably going to be beyond pissed.”

Felicity shook her head, patting her leg.

“I don’t think either of us are afraid of him,” she said.

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Thea said with a smile.

As they rode towards the restaurant, she listened to Thea go on and on about possible wedding dress designers and wondered if maybe she gained a friend in Thea Queen. With a heavy heart, Felicity prayed that she wouldn’t be too hurt by the end of all of this. She, just like her brother, didn’t deserve it.

* * *

Two hours later, they made their way back to the right floor of Queen Consolidated with smiles on their faces that quickly faded at the sight of Oliver pacing his office with his jacket discarded, his tie loose around his neck, and anger clear on his face. Thea sighed heavily just as his head turned and saw them standing near Felicity’s desk.

“What the hell, Thea?” he demanded, brandishing his phone as he advanced out towards them. “You told me that you would take care of her. Not dangle her in front of the paparazzi.”

“Oliver,” Felicity tried to cut in.

“She had to get ahead of it, Ollie. You and I both know how these stories work. Hiding her wasn’t going to make them go away. Showing them who she was, letting them actually talk to her for a couple of minutes, helps humanize her.”

“You don’t get to make that decision,” he said heatedly.

Thea stepped up to him, unimpressed by his anger.

“You all tried to do the same thing to me. It didn’t get better until I actually faced them. You have to give them the story, don’t let them dig it up,” she said.

“I don’t give a _shit_ if they get a story. Don’t do that again,” he growled.

“Hey!”

Felicity stepped between the siblings, putting her hands on Oliver’s chest to push him back.

“Apologize,” she said.

His eyes flashed to hers, incredulous at her demand.

“She knew that-”

“I don’t care,” Felicity cut him off with a shake of her head. “You don’t talk to her, or anyone, like that. We had a really pleasant lunch and the paparazzi thing wasn’t really that bad. I survived it. So you can apologize because Thea didn’t do anything to deserve this.”

Oliver heaved out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose between his finger and his thumb.

“I promised you,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “I told you that you wouldn’t have to deal with that anymore.”

Realizing exactly why he was upset, Felicity tugged his hand away from his face before pressing her own to his cheek.

“I’m okay, Oliver,” Felicity assured him, making sure that he was looking at her as she spoke. “I know what I’m getting into. Thea is right. Shielding me from it is only going to make it worse.”

He nodded reluctantly, though he still looked torn.

“You shouldn’t have to do it.”

“I’ve been through worse,” Felicity said with a shrug.

The slightest smile tugged at his lips.

“You’re quite the trooper,” Oliver agreed.

“You’re damn straight,” Felicity nodded.

With a shake of his head, he leaned down and dropped the lightest of kisses to her lips. Felicity knew that it was for the benefit of their audience but it still set her heart fluttering and warmth flooded her body at the gentle pressure of his lips on hers. Thea cleared her throat behind Felicity and they both turned to see her staring at Oliver with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m sorry, Speedy,” he said, sounding truly ashamed. “Felicity is right. I’m not going to talk to you like that again.”

Thea stared at him for a few long moments before a smile broke out of her face.

‘“I know how you can make it up to me,” she said, already cashing in on Oliver’s guilt.

“I’m not sure I want to hear it,” he admitted.

“Then it’s a good thing that it’s not just your decision,” Thea said, turning her attention to Felicity. “I want you to let me plan your wedding. With Felicity, of course.”

Oliver opened his mouth to reply but Felicity subtly dug her elbow into his side.

“Deal,” she said, knowing that it would make Thea happy.

Especially since she’d expressed her desire to start an event-planning business over their lunch date. Sure enough, Thea surged forward and hugged her tightly.

“It’s going to be amazing,” she promised, pulling away to smile at her.

“I don’t doubt it,” Felicity said with a nod.

“You think you can pull together something in a month?” Oliver asked.

Thea looked between them with surprise.

“Okay now I’m asking, are you pregnant?” she said.

Felicity let out a groan as Oliver sighed heavily.

* * *

Felicity would rather walk over burning coals while facing the paparazzi that go to this dinner with Oliver’s parents. But she had no choice. Luckily Oliver did arrive at the Queen mansion with her this time, having picked her up at her apartment.

“Do you think they’ll poison my wine?” she asked in a hushed voice as they made their way up to the large doors.

Oliver shook his head, clearly trying not to laugh.

“No,” he said with certainty, his hand going to her back.

Even with the layer of her dress between his skin and hers, she could feel the heat of his hand and it made her entire body tingle.

“They’ll probably do it in the billiards room with the candlestick,” Oliver continued.

Felicity gaped over at him, not expecting that particular joke. She recovered just as they stepped inside.

“Mocking doesn’t become you, Mr. Queen,” she said in a snobbish sort of voice as she reached up to adjust his tie. “Didn’t your mother teach you better than that?”

“Didn’t stick,” Oliver said with a shrug, taking her hand in his.

Felicity hummed in agreement, letting him lead her through the house to the private family dining room. Thea, Moira, and Robert were already there waiting. When Oliver separated from her to kiss his mother and sister on their cheeks, Felicity was surprised to see Robert cross over to do the same to her.

“You look lovely, Miss Smoak,” he said, pulling away.

“Felicity,” she blurted out, flushing at her rudeness. “Please. And thank you, Mr. Queen.”

“Robert, I insist,” he said.

She nodded once, feeling relieved once Oliver was next to her once more.

“Shall we?” Moira asked, ever the graceful hostess as she gestured to the impeccably set table.

Robert took the chair on one end of the table with Moira at his right. Oliver took the other, Felicity at his right and Thea at his left. It was definitely the most formal family dinner that Felicity had ever attended and yet it didn’t really take her by surprise. This was the Queen family, after all. They owned half of Starling City. Cheeseburger macaroni and old episodes of I Love Lucy probably weren’t a norm in this house. Felicity felt a pang of sadness at the memory of her favorite past time with her mother. Oliver, noticing her sudden melancholy, reached under the table to find her hand. With a smile on her face, she shook her head and focused on the conversation that had started when she was deep in thought.

“Do you have anyone that you’d like to invite to the party, Miss Smoak?” Moira asked.

Felicity didn’t bother correcting her on her name as she realized that they’d already gotten down to business with the engagement party plans.

“I have a few university friends that live in Central City that might be able to come,” she said, glancing over at Oliver. “And we should invite John and Lyla.”

He started to nod but his mother cut in.

“Surely Mr. Diggle should be doing his job at an event such as this,” she said.

Felicity frowned slightly, feeling Oliver’s fingers tighten around hers at the implication that Dig and his wife weren’t important enough to mingle with the Starling City elite.

“The Diggles are good friends to both of us,” she said, squeezing Oliver’s hand in return. “I think it’s pretty important that we acknowledge that. Both at the engagement party _and_ the wedding.”

Moira’s eyes lifted, slipping past Felicity and settling on Oliver as if she expected him to contradict her.

“I would like to invite John and Lyla as well.”

Felicity felt relieved, though she had to summon up a lot of courage to look Moira’s way. She didn’t say anything else about it, though her mouth tightened slightly.

“Please make sure that you get the addresses of your college friends to my personal assistant, Miss Smoak,” she said, moving on gracefully. “I’ve taken the liberty of booking the ballroom at The Pierre for Saturday night. They expected a large fee, since we’re planning this on such short notice, but I think it’s worth it for the venue.”

Felicity’s jaw nearly dropped. The Pierre was undoubtedly one of the top three nicest and most expensive hotels in Starling City. Why they would need to book such a high-priced place when the Queen mansion would cost them nothing at all was beyond her. But she felt that it was one battle she wouldn’t win, especially since Moira likely already paid the fee in full.

“That sounds great,” Felicity said, looking over at Oliver as she tried to keep her voice as light as possible.

He kept his face blank but his eyes were apologetic. The room fell into a tense silence that lasted through the staff bringing through a small salad with a fancy vinaigrette on the side. Felicity kept her head down as she ate, careful not to scrape her fork against the clearly expensive china. Thea managed the bring the conversation around to a far more graceful discussion of the engagement party, which was impressive. They’d made quite a bit of headway when Moira decided to look a little further into the future.

“Have you given any thought as to where you wish to be married?” she asked, only slightly tense at this point.

“We… have considered a few options,” Oliver said, outright lying.

“Well there is always the beautiful church in the city where your father and I had our ceremony. It fits enough people that we can have a good sized guest list without having to invite everyone we’ve ever met,” Moira said.

Felicity didn’t say anything, wondering if she should or not. Oliver, of course, made it to where she didn’t have to.

“Felicity is Jewish, Mom,” he said.

Moira’s lips parted slightly out of surprise but she quickly recovered, nodding once.

“My apologies, Miss Smoak. I wasn’t aware,” she said, sounding somewhat genuine.

Felicity nodded in response, unsure of what to say.

“I think you should get married here,” Thea said.

Everyone looked to her and Felicity couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s a good idea, Speedy,” Oliver said approvingly.

“I’m not so sure,” Moira said warily.

“It’ll be gorgeous, Mom. It’s springtime, the perfect time for an outdoor wedding. We can have the reception out here too. There’s plenty of room,” Thea said, already convincing the majority of the table.

But Moira’s eyebrows slowly raised at the implication in her words.

“How soon is the wedding happening?” she asked, clearly suspicious.

“Before the end of the month,” Oliver answered, pushing his plate away.

Moira’s eyes widened and she glanced at Robert, who looked just as surprised but much less offended.

“What’s the rush?” he asked curiously.

“We’re ready to be married,” Felicity said, reaching out to take Oliver’s hand atop the table this time. “Neither of us see any reason to wait.”

“No, Miss Smoak, I’m sure that _you_ wouldn’t,” Moira said, the slightest edge of hostility in her voice.

“Mom,” Oliver said, recognizing it as well.

Felicity fixed him with a look before turning to look at his mother.

“I understand your ambivalence when it comes to our engagement, Mrs. Queen. You are protective of your children and I admire that. Now, I could assure you all night long that I don’t intend to hurt your son in any way but I still think that it will be hard for you to believe me. So I suppose that I’ll just have to show you. But I am going to ask you to stop second guessing my love for Oliver. It’s an insult to the both of us.”

With that, she folded her napkin up neatly and placed it on the table beside her plate.

“I am going to excuse myself for a few minutes,” she said, scraping her chair back before anyone could speak.

Felicity didn’t hear anyone say so much as a word as she walked out of the room and back to the front of the house. It was fresh air that she needed the most, so she pushed the doors open and stepped out onto the porch, inhaling deeply. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt her hands shaking. The most terrifying part of the short speech she’d just given was the fact that she meant every word. It was the first time she’d admitted to loving Oliver out loud. And the worst part of it was that he no doubt assumed that it was part of the act and nothing more. Inhaling shakily, she tried to calm herself down as she paced back and forth on the porch. It didn’t take long for Oliver to find her out there. He shut the door with a small smile on his face as she glanced up at him sheepishly.

“I should probably go apologize,” Felicity said.

“No,” he said, walking towards her with his hands in his pockets. “That was amazing.”

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head.

“I can’t believe I just talked to Moira Queen that way. _Moira Queen._ ”

“I think you may have earned some points in her book,” Oliver said.

Felicity scoffed at him.

“Yeah right,” she said.

“I’m serious. It’s not often that someone stands up to her. I think you gained a little bit of respect for that,” Oliver said.

She stopped her pacing, turning to face him.

“Well, the only book I really care about is yours,” Felicity said, her cheeks flushing when she realized exactly how that sounded.

Before she could explain it away as a casual, completely platonic remark, he smiled and stepped towards her.

“Believe me, Miss Smoak,” he said, brushing an errant lock of hair out of her face. “You have unlimited points in my book.”

“Right back at you, Mr. Queen,” she said with a slight smile, tilting her head back to look up at him.

Oliver looked pleased at that, running the tips of his fingers gently down her cheek. That small voice in Felicity’s head was suspiciously silent. She didn’t feel any urge to step away from him and put distance between them. It was very dangerous.

“We’re going to the parlor to talk a little bit more,” he said, brushing his thumb over her chin. “Come inside when you’re ready?”

She nodded, appreciating that he was giving her the chance to catch her breath and recuperate a little. Then he leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss. Felicity hesitated for a moment before pushing up on her toes, her hand lifting to slide into his short hair. It was a mostly chaste kiss but when his hand slid from her hip around to her back to anchor her closer to him, she gasped against his mouth and he let out a breathy sigh in response before he nipped at her lower lip and pulled away.

“See you inside,” Oliver said, making sure she was steady on her feet before stepping away.

He had an uncontrollable smile on his face as he turned to walk back inside, leaving her with tingling lips and a spinning head. It was only when Felicity glanced around that realization crashed down on her all at once. Oliver had just kissed her with no one else around. There was no one to put on a show for, no one to prove their relationship too. He kissed her when he didn’t have to.

_What the hell was she supposed to do with that?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
>   **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **  
> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity has a lot to sort through in her head. They have the dreaded meeting with the Queen family lawyers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I cannot express my gratitude enough for how you are all responding to this fic. I am in awe. I am flattered. I love all of you.
> 
> So as a sort of celebration slash reward for getting me to over 700 kudos and almost 10k hits (which I am definitely screaming about, tbh) this is the longest chapter yet. And there's a lot of stuff that I think you're going to love. A lot. At least I hope you will, because I loved writing it.
> 
> **If you want to see Felicity's outfits, here they are:[Meeting with Lawyers](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832812) | [Date with Oliver](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832819)**

Felicity stretched her legs out on her couch, admiring the bright color that now adorned her toes. Given a night off, she decided to treat herself to a little bit of self pampering and a Hulu marathon of Brooklyn 99. She needed the night to herself to come to terms with the huge changes that her life had undergone in a mere week. It was hard to believe that it had only been that long. It felt like months had passed since her lawyer informed her that she was going to be deported. Now she was engaged to her boss, having an engagement party at a hugely expensive hotel, and getting married on the grounds of the Queen mansion in less than a month.

But all of that paled in comparison to the rising suspicion in her gut that the feelings she had for Oliver Queen may not be as unrequited as she thought.

It was the only explanation that she could think of, even though the logical part of her tried to explain it all away. Because there was no way that, given the pick of the women in Starling City, Oliver would fall for her. But what if he had? He jumped into this marriage idea with both feet and wound up convincing Felicity to go through with it. And ever since then, he initiated a lot of their touches. He seemed truly happy to be around her, to be holding her hand, to be kissing her. He didn’t seem like a reluctant participant.

“I’m crazy,” Felicity declared aloud, reaching out to grab the cup of hot chocolate from her coffee table. “There is no way that Oliver has feelings for me.”

She shook her head, taking a long drink of the sweet concoction. Then she remembered that kiss. It happened two nights ago and Felicity _still_ wasn’t over it. She touched her fingers to her lower lip, remembering how Oliver nipped at it affectionately before pulling away. And that smile on his face. He seemed almost proud of himself. Maybe he was just congratulating himself on how good of an actor he was. Or maybe there was more to it. With a groan of frustration, Felicity let her head fall back on her couch pillow and stared at her ceiling as if it might have an answer for her. A knock came on her door, pulling her out of her confused contemplation. She trudged over, peering through the small hole before opening it with a grin, already knowing what Diggle came to give her.

“Lyla made her chicken casserole,” Dig said, offering the plastic container to her.

“I love your wife,” Felicity said, waving for him to come in as she turned directly into her kitchen to heat it up.

He closed the door behind him and took a seat on her barstool.

“I haven’t checked in with you in a while,” he said as Felicity unloaded a portion onto a plate and stuck it into her microwave. “You good?”

“I’m fine,” Felicity nodded, aware of how unconvincing she sounded. “Busy. Who knew that a fake engagement was so time consuming?”

Dig looked at her knowingly, not fooled at all.

“I think you knew that this would be a lot of work when you both agreed to do it,” he said, folding his arms on her counter.

Felicity didn’t deny it.

“I correctly predicted that the Queens would give us more trouble than anyone,” she said, leaning back against her cabinet. “Okay, that’s not fair to Thea. She’s been a delight. Her parents, however…”

She trailed off with a shake of her head.

“Have they offered you money to make you disappear yet?” Dig asked.

“No,” Felicity said, looking at him with wide eyes. “Why? Have they… has that happened before?”

He didn’t answer, which was enough of an answer in itself.

“Moira is usually the one with the checkbook in hand,” he said.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Felicity said, turning to pull her plate out of the microwave. “She still thinks that I’m trying to steal Oliver’s inheritance. I can’t decide if they would be relieved to know the truth and furious? Sorry, Mrs. Queen. I’m not trying to add a few zeroes to my bank account but I am using your son so that I don’t get deported.”

Dig chuckled at that.

“Maybe try to keep them from finding out about the possible jail time,” he advised as Felicity hopped up on her counter to eat. “And you and I both know that Oliver doesn’t let himself be used by anyone. He’s got as much of this on his shoulders as you do.”

“And yet the guilt is all mine,” Felicity said with a casual shrug and a smile, though her words betrayed the feelings she had about the situation.

She took a bite of food, knowing that Dig didn’t care if she ate in front of him. As if he sensed that she had something to say, he watched her expectantly but patiently. Felicity’s nerves made her stomach flutter and she set her plate down.

“Oliver kissed me,” she said.

His eyebrow slowly lifted in response.

“Isn’t that par for the course?” Dig asked.

Felicity shook her head, rubbing her hands along her thighs nervously.

“He _kissed_ me,” she stressed.

He looked at her with understanding and a little bit of amusement.

“It’s about time that boy did something,” Dig said.

Felicity’s eyes widened and she slipped off of the counter, taking several steps forward.

“Do you know something?” she somewhat demanded.

Dig looked at her as innocently as he could manage, which wasn’t all that innocent considering that he had a hard time lying to Felicity. It was something she knew well and took advantage of on occasion. He was like a older, much bigger brother that she could pester for information.

“I’m not getting in the middle of this,” Diggle said, leaning back on the stool. “You two clearly need to talk.”

Felicity stared at him, silently letting him know how unsatisfied she was with his answer by the look on her face.

“Thanks for the invitation to your engagement party, by the way,” he said, changing the subject.

Her face relaxed and she smiled, unable to help herself.

“Of course,” Felicity said, leaning forward with her elbows on the counter. “You got all of this started, after all. You introduced us.”

“And my life hasn’t known peace since,” Dig grumbled.

It was her turn to raise her eyebrows.

“You’ve been working as Oliver’s bodyguard for three years. Your life hasn’t known peace in a while,” Felicity said.

“Alright, I’ll give you that one,” he agreed with a laugh and a nod.

Felicity’s smile faded as she ran a hand through her loose hair.

“This was supposed to be easier,” she said, staring just past him.

“You’re a smart girl, Felicity. I think you knew that this wasn’t going to be easy,” Dig said.

She didn’t contradict him. But at least it was supposed to be a ruse and nothing more. Felicity knew that she’d had feelings for Oliver for a while. It took her until now to recognize them but it was always in the back of her mind, informing her decisions. That was why his name popped into her head when she needed to decide who she was fake engaged to in the heat of the moment. There was no one else. It had to be Oliver.

“There’s a part of me that’s scared,” Felicity admitted, looking at him. “I’m so terrified that when this is all said and done, Oliver is going to hate me.”

Her voice wavered as she spoke the last few words, betraying just how deep her fear ran. Diggle picked himself up from the stool and made his way over to her, pressing a hand to her shoulder as she straightened up.

“There’s not a single thing in this world you could do to make Oliver Queen hate you,” he said confidently.

A lump formed in Felicity’s throat as she realized just how much she hoped he was right.

“I better get home before Lyla sends a squad after me,” Diggle said, stepping back with a smile. “Talk to him. You’ll get some things straightened out pretty quick.”

Felicity nodded, though she balked at having a real conversation with Oliver that might reveal just how she felt about him.

“Tell Lyla that I really appreciate the food,” she said, picking up her plate to finish the rest off.

“Will do,” he said with a nod before walking out and shutting her door behind him.

Felicity leaned her hip against her cabinet as she quickly ate the rest of her dinner, trying to sort out the jumbled, panicked mess that was currently her mind.

* * *

The lobby of the building that the Queen family lawyers operated out of was somehow even more intimidating than Queen Consolidated, which was saying something. Felicity knew that it was the situation, not the actual location, that had her on edge. Still, she had to keep from pacing as she waited near the reception desk for her late fiancé. When he finally came hurrying through the doors, an apologetic look on his face, she tried not to look too annoyed.

“The only reason I didn’t meet you at QC is because I hoped that you could make it on time,” Felicity said with irritation, stopping him before he could lead her to the elevators.

Oliver’s eyes moved to her face with surprise in their blue depths as she straightened his tie. His eyes drifted down to her hand and a frown formed on his face.

“You’re not wearing your ring,” he said.

“Shit,” Felicity cursed, reaching into her purse to pull out the case.

She slipped the ring on her finger quickly, dropping the small black box into her purse as she turned to walk towards the elevators. Felicity could tell that Oliver wanted to say something but they were late enough already. They were joined by several others in the elevator, so she found herself pressed up against his side as she clasped her hands. The atmosphere between them was tense. Felicity tried not to notice that his eyes were on hers, watching the numbers climb upward.

“We don’t have to do this now,” Oliver said quietly.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Felicity sighed without looking at him. “If we don’t do it now, we do it later. And your schedule is cleared for the afternoon so this is a good time.”

“You’re stressed,” he said as if she didn’t know it.

“What else is new?” she muttered as the elevator reached their floor.

Felicity ignored the curious looks from everyone else in the small space as they made their way out the door. They obviously recognized them. It was hard to go anywhere these ideas without getting a lot of looks and even a few pointed fingers. With Oliver, it was even worse. When they reached the firm’s reception desk, Felicity put a polite smile on her face.

“We have an appointment,” she said.

“Oliver Queen,” he added on.

“Of course Mr. Queen,” the receptionist said, eyeing him appreciatively. “I’ll let them know that you’re here.”

Felicity felt a stab of annoyance, finally turning to look at him.

“Them?” she repeated quietly.

“This is the first situation like this in a long time when it comes to my family,” Oliver said, putting his hands in his pants pockets. “They’ll want to make sure that everything is done right.”

“Who?” Felicity said.

“The partners,” he told her.

She paused, taking a deep breath as they waited for the receptionist to announce their arrival.

“This is one of the most prestigious law firms in Starling City. Are you telling me that every partner here is going to be in that room with us?” Felicity questioned.

“Of course not,” Oliver said, a smile tugging at his lips. “Only three or four and their assistants. And Mr. Rosen, who you met. He’s my personal lawyer.”

“Isn’t he the one who got you off for assaulting that photographer?” Felicity asked, tilting her head to the side.

Oliver’s good humor disappeared as she turned away to walk to the small waiting area. She was fully aware that she was being fairly bitchy right now. But the walls were pressing in on her from every direction. Saying that she felt smothered was an understatement. The last place that Felicity wanted to be was a building full of lawyers who would encourage Oliver to cut all ties with her if they found out what was truly going on. Oliver sat next to her, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he did so. Instead of saying anything, he reached out to take her hand, squeezing it lightly. Felicity didn’t react at first but the tension slowly ebbed away as she laced her fingers with his.

It didn’t take long for them to be called back to a nice conference room with a large wooden table. The blinds on the window that peered out into the main part of the office were closed. Felicity knew that they were probably used to dealing with the Queens, especially Robert and Moira, which afforded them some special treatment. Oliver didn’t seem fazed by it at all. They were sat on one end of the table while the lawyers and their assistants took up the rest of the space. Felicity wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself when an intern asked her if she wanted coffee. She was relieved when the meeting started, if only because it meant that they could get out of there sooner.

“What can we help you with today, Mr. Queen?” one of the older partners asked.

Oliver sat up a little straighter, adopting his public persona with relative ease. Felicity would have to learn how to do that.

“Well you may have heard that I’m engaged now,” he said, squeezing Felicity’s hand lightly.

Their joined hands were lying atop the table purposefully. Felicity knew that it was to show their unity.

“Congratulations to you both,” one of the lawyers said, his statement repeated by several others.

“Thank you,” Oliver said with a pleasant look on his face. “I’m going to be honest. I didn’t want this meeting. As much as I appreciate everything that this firm has done for us, I don’t think that this particular service is necessary.”

Felicity pressed her lips together, knowing all of this already. Oliver wasn’t exactly subtle with how much he resented his parents insisting that they meet with the lawyers.

“Your father mentioned that you may be… hesitant.”

 _That’s understating things,_ Felicity said to herself, keepng her face carefully blank.

“I’m sure that you are aware of the norm when it comes to a man of your standing, Mr. Queen,” Mr. Rosen interjected, folding his hands atop the table. “It is very rare for an agreement to be bypassed completely.”

“You can say it bluntly, Mr. Rosen. We’re all mature adults here,” Felicity jumped in, unwilling to be a passive participant in this particular conversation. “Oliver’s parents want you to convince us to negotiate a prenup. But I can assure you that I need no convincing. I am more than willing to do so.”

Oliver’s eyes snapped to her but she didn’t look at him, keeping her chin held high.

“That is a relief, Miss Smoak,” Mr. Rosen said, nodding appreciatively.

“I’m not,” Oliver said, bringing the attention back to him. “I don’t feel the need to protect my inheritance.”

Felicity knew that he would be difficult about this. She just didn’t think that it would be that hard.

“I’m certain that you and your fiancée will enjoy a flourishing, long-term marriage. But everyone at this table is in agreement. We highly advise that you and Miss Smoak sign a prenup,” another man said.

“I don’t need a piece of paper to protect my assets. I trust Felicity,” Oliver said, sitting back in his chair.

Felicity squeezed his hand tightly, looking over at him with an incredulous expression. He stared back without flinching, clearly unwilling to back down.

“I would like a moment alone with my fiancé,” she said without looking away from him.

“Of course. My office is right next door. You two can use it for as long as you need it,” one of the lawyers said.

Felicity released Oliver’s hand, standing up without another word. She didn’t even make it to the door before he was slipping past her to open it. She nodded at him once before walking out. The office next door was open but she made sure to shut the door once they were inside before rounding on Oliver.

“What is wrong with you?” Felicity demanded in a hushed voice, advancing on him.

“I could ask the same of you,” he said, unfazed by her aggravation.

She gritted her teeth, wondering if he was behaving like this just so that she would let loose on him. It certainly felt like it and it would be a very Oliver thing to do. In their past disagreements, he’d needled at her until she let him know exactly what she thought about the situation, and that was just as boss and assistant. Taking a deep breath, Felicity centered herself so that she wouldn’t use her very loud voice in the middle of this prestigious law firm.

“You know that this is necessary. Why are you fighting it?” she asked as calmly as she could.

“I trust you,” Oliver said simply.

Felicity looked up, meeting his eyes as some of her anger faded.

“I appreciate that,” she said, stepping closer. “I really do. And I know exactly why you’re trying to prove it. All of these people insisting that I’m a gold digger is frustrating to you. I get that more than anything. But you have to know why it is important that we come to an agreement about a prenup.”

“It is between us-”

“It really isn’t,” Felicity interrupted him, bringing him to sit down on a couch in the corner of the impressively sized office.

Oliver sat down with her, looking exasperated by this conversation.

“This isn’t about your trust in me. It’s not even about our engagement or our marriage. It’s about the company.”

He squinted slightly, clearly trying to figure out how that connected.

“You are the future CEO of Queen Consolidated. Everyone pretty much knows that’s an eventuality, especially since you’ve proven many times over that you can handle leadership of the company,” Felicity said, taking both of his hands in hers. “And as annoying as it is, you have a lot of shareholders that will get very nervous if they find out that you married someone without signing a prenup. So nervous that the board of directors may not vote you in as CEO when the time comes, even if we aren’t married at that time. Refusing to do this is reckless because you’re not looking to the future. Please, Oliver. Just think past your need to protect me and consider this logically. You know it’s the right decision.”

He didn’t look happy about it but Felicity was pleased to see that he was all least considering it.

“This is exactly why I need you,” Oliver admitted, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand. “I wouldn’t have thought about it that way.”

Felicity smiled, letting go of his hand only to cup his cheek.

“That’s because you are a good man, Oliver Queen.”

He looked surprised and a little uncertain about her words, but there was an affection in his eyes that made her chest grow warm.

“So you’ll do it?” Felicity asked, her voice even quieter than before.

Oliver nodded, shifting slightly closer to her.

“I’ll do it,” he said, the vaguest hint of reluctance in his voice.

She pressed her lips together, aware of the very different kind of tension that was growing heavier between them. They hadn’t been this close since he kissed her on the front porch of his family porch.

“We should probably go back in there,” Felicity said.

“We should,” Oliver agreed.

“It won’t help the rumors if people suspect us of doing something other than talking in here,” she said.

“The tabloids would have a field day with that,” he said with a slight smirk on his face.

Felicity shook her head, smiling at him.

“We really need to go back in there,” she said.

“You said that already.”

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to pull away from him. There was a bit of disappointment in Oliver’s face that Felicity knew she didn’t imagine. Standing up, she smoothed out her dress before reaching her hand towards him. Oliver took it with a smile, letting her lead them back out. Felicity felt many sets of eyes on them as they made their way back into the conference room but she ignored them, keeping her head high. They sat down and situated themselves, joining hands atop the table before Oliver spoke.

“We’re going ahead with the prenup,” he said.

Felicity nearly smiled at the sight of every single lawyer relaxing at once.

“This is the right decision, Mr. Queen,” one of them said.

“So my fiancée says,” he said, looking over at Felicity. “But I want you to draw up a few extra documents for us to sign.”

Felicity’s eyes widened and she looked at him questioningly. Oliver stared back at her, his own eyes telling her to trust him. She did.

“What would those be?”

“I’m going to sign over my power of attorney and medical power of attorney to her,” Oliver said, facing the room again.

Her jaw nearly dropped. That was a big deal. The rest of the people in the room all looked taken aback.

“Are you certain, Mr. Queen?”

“Absolutely,” he said, nodding his head.

Felicity looked away from him, considering her next words carefully.

“Can I do the same?” she asked.

Oliver’s eyes landed on her again but she kept her head forward.

“We’re… not exactly your lawyers, Miss Smoak,” Mr. Rosen said.

“You are now,” Oliver said.

Felicity squeezed her hand lightly in his and he returned it, unspoken gratitude passing between them for the trust they showed one another. Once all the appropriate papers were signed, Oliver and Felicity were free to go. She found herself sliding into the back of his car with him, recognizing the driver slash bodyguard as one of the men who took over when Diggle wasn’t on shift.

“Where to, Mr. Queen?” he asked.

“Miss Smoak’s apartment,” Oliver instructed.

Felicity opened her mouth to argue but he fixed her with a look.

“If my afternoon is cleared, so is yours,” he said, leaving very little room for her to argue.

“I’m not going to complain,” Felicity said with a shrug, leaning back against the seat.

They drove for a little while before Oliver reached over and brushed his fingers over the back of her hand.

“Do you want to tell me what was wrong earlier?” he asked quietly, letting her decide whether she wanted to discuss it.

Felicity looked over at him, unsure of whether she was ready to have this conversation.

“There’s a lot on my mind,” she said, smiling at him.

“You sure that’s it?” Oliver asked, looking concerned.

She bit down on her lip, nodding once without breaking her gaze away from him. Oliver’s eyes flickered down and darkened slightly at the sight of her teeth sunk into her lower lip. Felicity _knew_ she didn’t imagine that. Her hand lifted before she could talk herself out of it, her thumb brushing over his bristly jaw. Leaning in closer, she took a small breath and her mind grew a little fuzzy as he filled her senses completely. Oliver was watching her again, remaining perfectly still as Felicity daringly stroked his bottom lip and traced the small mole close to his mouth.

Her eyes flickered up to him, checking to see whether he was about to pull away. Felicity wasn’t sure, but she had the feeling that was the last thing that he wanted to do. She leaned in even closer, hovering with her lips mere millimeters away from his. He still had time to stop her if he wanted to, even as her eyes slid shut and she felt his warm breath on her lips. Throwing all caution to the wind, Felicity hesitantly brushed her lips over his. Oliver responded immediately, pressing closer just enough to let her know that he was definitely okay with this, the first kiss she’d initiated between them.

Sliding her hand up into his hair, Felicity pressed her lips more firmly against his and tilted her head to the side. Then she parted her lips and her tongue darted out, tracing the seam of his lips, tasting the remnants of his coffee from the meeting. Oliver let out a soft groan, sending warmth shooting throughout her body as his hand went to the side of her neck. His own tongue swept over her bottom lip and she shuddered at the electrifying feeling that it invoked in her. With a sharp breath, Felicity pulled away before she gave into the temptation to climb into his lap and show him just how passionate a kiss they could have.

They were both breathing heavily as if they’d run a marathon, their faces still close together. Oliver brushed his thumb over her pulse point and she opened her eyes slowly, meeting his eyes. They were filled with desire, sending another pulse of heat through her. Yes, there was definitely something about this that wasn’t one-sided. Felicity could have done a little dance at that if she wasn’t so enraptured by the way that Oliver was looking at her.

“Why did you do that?” he said, his voice low and husky.

Felicity nearly kissed him again just for the way he said that. Instead she forced her mind to clear a little bit before answering.

“I… I wanted to,” she confessed.

A cautious, yet luminous smile slowly formed on Oliver’s face. She felt a surge of affection for him as an answering smile tugged at her own lips.

“I’m going to take you out tonight,” Oliver said.

Felicity’s heart skipped a beat and she couldn’t it as she smiled even bigger.

“Are you?” she said, stroking the shell of his ear with her index finger.

Oliver shivered at the touch and Felicity filed that piece of information away in her mind.

“I am,” he said, brushing his knuckles over her cheek gently. “If you agree, of course.”

She found herself nodding far too quickly, bringing that smile back to his lips.

“Where are we going to go?” Felicity asked.

Oliver shook his head, touching the dimple in her cheek that formed when she smiled.

“It’s a surprise.”

Felicity frowned at him, pulling away slightly.

“I don’t like surprises,” she said, frowning slightly. “How will I know what to wear?”

“Something casual,” Oliver said, tilting her chin up slightly. “Pants. Closed shoes.”

“Oh so this surprise has a dress code?” Felicity said, biting back another smile.

He nodded as the car pulled to a gentle stop at the curb in front of her apartment building. Leaning in, he pressed another gentle kiss to her lips.

“Eight o’clock,” Oliver murmured into the kiss.

“Yes Mr. Queen,” Felicity breathed as she pulled away, shooting him a cheeky grin.

His eyes flashed with want again at the way she addressed him and Felicity filed that away as well, opening her door.

“Have a good afternoon,” she said, waving goodbye before climbing out.

Felicity felt his eyes on her as she walked up the steps. She hesitated at the door, glancing over her shoulder to watch as the car drove away. A giddy smile overtook her face and she pushed her way inside, nearly floating across the lobby to the elevator. They hadn’t had that talk yet but surely that was the next step, to be had wherever they were going that night. Until then, she was going to ride the high of kissing Oliver Queen. Because _damn_ it felt good.

* * *

With no idea what to expect, Felicity stepped out of the elevator six hours later. It was somewhat of a relief to be out of high heels for the night but she couldn’t rein in her curiosity about what they were doing. When she stepped through the door, her eyes widened and she paused on the steps when she saw him waiting on her, leaning against a sleek black motorcycle with two helmets sitting on the seat. Any panic that she felt at his intended transportation for the evening was overshadowed when she realized just how good he looked in the jeans and dark brown leather jacket that fit him absolutely, sinfully perfect. Pushing aside her admiration of him, she remembered exactly why she wasn’t feeling sure about this.

“You can’t be serious,” Felicity said, shaking her head with a smile as she made her way towards him. “I can’t ride that. I wouldn’t even know how to.”

Oliver didn’t look fazed, straightening up as she approached.

“It’s pretty easy,” he said, reaching out to tug her in with his hand on her hip. “You just hold on tight…”

Felicity gasped as he pulled her in close, her hands flying up to his shoulders.

“And you move with me,” Oliver finished, leaning down to give her a brief kiss.

“I can maybe do that,” she said, feeling a little flustered when he pulled away.

“Trust me,” he said.

That was all that he really had to say because there was no doubt in her mind that she did. When he handed the helmet out to her, Felicity was glad that she let her hair down for the evening.

“It’s bulky,” she said, fitting over her head.

Oliver helped her fix it in place before dropping the visor to cover her eyes.

“Believe me, you want it that way,” he said loud enough that she could hear, grinning at her. “You look cute.”

Felicity resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him, knowing that he wouldn’t see it since her mouth was covered. So she settled with smacking his arm lightly before stepping back. Oliver swung a leg over the motorcycle gracefully, putting his own helmet on before patting the seat behind him. With a quickly beating heart, Felicity hesitantly climbed on and put her feet where he directed. Then his hands came back and grabbed hers, tugging them around his waist. Felicity was grateful that he couldn’t see the color that filled her cheeks as her chest pressed flush to his back and her legs molded to his.

“I’m not sure about this!” she yelled, not knowing whether he could hear her.

Oliver simply patted her hand confidently before starting the engine. The entire bike shuddered and rumbled beneath her and she jumped a little before pressing herself even closer to him.

 _Hold on tight and move with him,_ Felicity repeated to herself as he pulled away from the curb slowly. _I always imagined him saying that under different circumstances._

Before she could chide herself for the innuendo, they were moving faster. She let out a small noise of surprise as wind whipped around them. It took a while for her to learn the rhythm and realize exactly when Oliver wanted her to lean with him and when he wanted her to stay still. After about ten minutes, it started coming easier, much to her relief. Felicity even found herself somewhat enjoying the ride when they pulled up to their destination. Oliver climbed off first, helping her stand before pulling his helmet off. Felicity did the same, handing it over before reaching up to sort out her hair. His still looked good. Of course Oliver Queen defied the law of helmet hair.

“The marina?” Felicity asked, looking around.

“Mm-hm,” Oliver said, taking her hand to lead her to the docks.

She knew that the Queens had a yacht. Seeing it up close and personal, along with the clever name, was different than just knowing that it existed. As the sun was almost completely faded beneath the horizon, Felicity could see all the lights on inside of the boat.

“You don’t get seasick, do you?” Oliver asked as they approached the boat.

Felicity shook her head, thanking the heavens for that. It would put a really bad end to the evening if she were. Once they climbed the small ramp up onto the yacht, she couldn’t help but reach out her hand to brush over the metal railing that surrounded the boat completely.

“Are you driving this thing?” she asked, looking up at Oliver.

“I can,” he said, seeming amused by her question. “But tonight I’m just a passenger.”

A man poked his head out of the interior of the boat just as he said the words, giving a questioning thumbs up Oliver’s way. He nodded in response before tugging Felicity towards the back end of the boat. She let out a small gasp when they started to pull away a few moments later, just as they reached the small open area. Sitting on a table in the center was a bottle of wine and various delicious looking hors d'oeuvres.

“Wow,” Felicity said, letting go of his hand to pick up the bottle of wine. “Oliver Queen really does go all out with his surprises. This is a bottle of Lafite Rothschild 1982.”

Oliver looked impressed as he picked up the corkscrew.

“Nothing but the best,” he said, reaching out to take it.

Felicity relinquished it, picking up a small piece of bruschetta.

“This is delicious,” she said once she took a bite, closing her eyes at the delightful flavor.

Oliver smiled at her reaction as he poured them both a glass of the wine. He chose to pick up a small cheese ball, biting it off of the toothpick as he handed her glass over to her. Felicity took it and slipped past him, taking a small sip of it as she walked to the railing. She looked out at the open sea before them before glancing over her shoulder at the illuminated city behind them. Oliver’s hand settled on her lower back as he joined her at the railing, his own glass of wine in hand.

“This is amazing, Oliver,” Felicity said, leaning into his touch. “It’s almost hard to believe that it’s real.”

He looked as though he understood, making Felicity feel even more comfortable than she already did.

“So where are they taking us?” she asked.

“Just a few miles out,” Oliver said after swallowing a drink of his wine. “We’ll drop anchor there for a little bit before heading back in.”

Felicity turned around, pressing her back to the railing. Her heart swooped in her chest when his hand moved to her hip and squeezed lightly.

“It’s very romantic,” she said approvingly before taking another few sips.

Oliver smiled down at her, clearly pleased that she liked it.

“I’ve wanted to bring you out here for a while,” he said, glancing over her head.

Felicity looked up at him with surprise, not expecting that at all. Part of her wanted to ask how long. The other part didn’t need to know. Reaching down to take his free hand, she tugged him a little closer to her as his eyes dropped to meet hers again.

“It’s perfect,” she said, feeling the band of her ring press into his finger as she laced their hands together before pushing up on her toes to kiss him.

Oliver deepened the kiss almost immediately. Felicity wanted to wrap her arm around his neck but she was still holding her wine. As if sensing her dilemma, Oliver walked them backward towards the table as she giggled against his lips. Taking her wine, he pulled away for just a moment to set them down on the table. Then his arms were around her waist, pulling her back in as his lips sealed over hers. Felicity tossed her arms around his neck, meeting him in the middle enthusiastically. It seemed that she was addicted to his kisses because she just couldn’t stop seeking them. If she thought that the first few were as good as it got, Felicity was proven seriously wrong.

When his tongue darted out to trace her lips, she parted them and daringly slipped her own tongue out to brush over his. Oliver groaned, his hands bunching her jacket up at her waist as he guided them over to the cushioned seats that were built into the very back of the yacht. When he dropped down to sit, Felicity felt him tug her between his legs and tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling down at him. Oliver’s hands ran up her jeans-clad thighs and brushed over the sliver of skin revealed by the shirt that she wore.

Then he was tugging her down into his lap. Felicity straddled him with ease, melding their lips together once more. She felt Oliver’s hand dip into the collar of her jacket just before he started pushing it down her arms. She helped him, tugging her hands through the sleeves and shaking it away before dropping it onto the seat next to him. The passion of their kiss brought heat to her skin and she could barely feel the bite of the wind around them as the boat moved seamlessly across the water.

Felicity pushed at the collar of Oliver’s jacket and he leaned forward, letting her shove it off of his shoulders. Once it was gone, she gripped his bicep with one hand, feeling the hard muscles through the t-shirt he wore. Her other hand cupped the back of his head as Felicity nipped at his lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth to tease him. Oliver traced his fingers lightly up her bare arm as the other slipped beneath her shirt, stroking over her spine at the same pace. It was almost too much.

When she broke away with a sharp inhale, Oliver looked up at her. He looked thoroughly ravished, with slightly swollen lips and dark eyes. Felicity knew that she must have looked similar. Shaking her head, she smiled at him as she traced the line of his jaw. Oliver gave her a questioning look, wanting to know if she was alright. Wanting to know why she stopped. Wanting to know when they would start again.

“What are we doing?” she said, finally asking the question.

Oliver reached up, brushing his thumb over the thin strap of her top.

“What we want,” he said, looking into her eyes.

She stared at him with disbelief.

“You do?” Felicity said, earning a slight frown from him. “I mean you want this? You want… me? Me? Felicity Megan Smoak? Because I don’t want to do anything else if it’s not what you want. Absolutely. One hundred percent. Not that I’m doubting you. Because I’m not. It’s just kind of hard to believe that you want me. Okay maybe I’m doubting you a little. You’re just… well… you’re you. And I’m me. So I want to make sure that you’re… sure. So are you?”

Oliver looked amused at her babbling, reaching up to stroke his hand through her hair.

“I think it pretty much goes without saying considering the position we’re in right now,” he said, bringing a flush to her cheeks. “But I’m sure.”

Felicity shook her head again, a smile breaking out over her face.

“This wasn’t planned,” she said, tracing his collarbone where it peeked out from his shirt.

“Felicity?” Oliver said.

“Hmm?” she met his eyes, seeing that intoxicating desire in his gaze once more.

“Kiss me.”

She did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> Oliver and Felicity's time on the Gambit isn't over with. We'll pick back up in the next chapter.
> 
> There's some drama coming, just in time for things to get good between our favorite couple. Prepare yourselves. It's going to be a lot.
> 
>  
> 
> **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **  
> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver continue their time on the Gambit. A face from the past shows up in Starling City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I adore all of you. I know I keep gushing about how flattered I am at the response to this fic but I seriously can't get over it. Thank you.
> 
> Felicity's outfit for the chapter: [At Queen Consolidated](https://www.polyvore.com/chapter_first_outfit/set?id=224966756)

Once they dropped the anchor a few miles out from shore, close enough that they could still the lights of Starling City but far enough that it felt like they were in another world, Felicity wound up sitting next to Oliver with her legs draped over his lap and her now full wine back in her hand.

“Do you remember the day that we met?” she asked.

Oliver looked at her sideways.

“I don’t think that I can ever forget the day we met,” he said.

It may have sounded romantic but they both knew why they would always remember it.

“I wonder what Agent Clark would have done if we told him the real version of events,” Felicity said.

“What? That you managed to insult me, proposition me, and spill coffee all over the expensive former rug in my office all in the span of four minutes?”

She couldn’t hold back her laugh.

“You’re the one who gave me the job in spite of all that,” Felicity reminded him.

“You were the only interviewee that shouted ‘shit’ at the top of her lungs before I had a chance to ask for your qualifications,” Oliver said.

“Which were absolutely none, when it came to being an executive assistant,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “Why did you hire me, anyway?”

Oliver took a drink of wine before answering as his free hand settled on one of her knees.

“I could tell that you would keep me on my toes,” he said, looking over at her. 

Felicity snorted at that. He couldn’t have been more right if he tried.

“And Dig told me that you were way smarter than me. I thought I might need that. Turns out I was right.”

She tilted her head to the side, her chest warming at his words.

“My boyfriend in college was intimidated by my intelligence,” Felicity said, knowing that the wine had loosened her tongue a little bit.

“Your boyfriend in college was an idiot.”

She grinned at him, reaching out to stroke her thumb over his cheek.

“Keep saying stuff like that and I might marry you,” Felicity said teasingly.

Oliver smirked at her, pulling her hand away from his face to show her the diamond ring sparkling on her finger.

“I have it on good authority that you already are,” he said.

“Well would you look at that,” she said.

Oliver shook his head at her antics, though he looked plenty amused himself.

“Tell me more about yourself before,” he said, swirling his wine around the glass. “You don’t talk about yourself much at all.”

“Ahhh,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Young Felicity Smoak. Where to start? Well I had black hair starting my freshman year at MIT.”

Oliver’s eyes almost comically as he looked over at her.

“Uh huh,” Felicity said, grinning at him. “With purple streaks. And I wore a lot of black eyeliner and dark purple lipstick. All of my clothes were sort of monotone. It was very much an interesting phase.”

“Please, please tell me there are pictures,” he said.

She shook her head with a giggle.

“I destroyed all the evidence.”

Oliver let out a disappointed groan.

“That would be quality rehearsal dinner material,” he said, shaking his head at her.

“I don’t think you want to play that game. I have way more ammunition than you,” Felicity said.

“The difference is that all of my embarrassing pictures are, unfortunately, very public. You couldn’t show anyone anything they haven’t already seen,” Oliver said.

She couldn’t really argue with that.

“I did have a nose ring,” Felicity said.

“I knew it,” Oliver said triumphantly.

She nodded her head, recalling other things about herself.

“I was very angry at the world. All of the stuff with my dad plus how hard I had to work to get to where I was when a few of my classmates just sort of breezed their way into the school… it made for one hard to deal with Felicity.”

Oliver tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at her.

“What?” she said.

“Are you sure you’re Canadian?” he asked.

Felicity squinted at him before dropping her legs off of his lap to stand. As he set her wine down and stretched her arms over her head, she felt his eyes on her.

“You haven’t given me a tour yet,” Felicity said, knowing that they’d barely seen any of the level they were on, much less the other two.

“It’s a boat,” Oliver grumbled, standing up only to slide his arms around her from behind. “Not much to see.”

Felicity leaned back into him with a shake of her head.

“It’s a yacht and I’ve never been on one,” she said, trailing her fingers over the back of his hand where it was laying over her stomach. “You didn’t just bring me on board to kiss me, did you?”

“I definitely brought you on board just to kiss you.”

Felicity let out a laugh and turned in his arms to look up at him.

“Then why don’t we try to kiss in every single room,” she suggested, biting down on her lower lip as she offered the compromise.

“You’re a good negotiator,” he said, grinning down at her.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Felicity said, pushing up on her toes to kiss him briefly before setting down her glass of wine. “I believe you owe me a tour.”

He relented, taking her hand to lead her to a set of darkly tinted glass sliding doors. It was all as ornate as she expected, with the interior reminding her of Queen mansion almost exactly. It came as no surprise when Oliver told her that his mother had a part in it. By the time they made it through three luxurious lounges,  _ five _ bedrooms, one kitchen, and one fully-stocked bar, kissing in every single place, he finally led her into the most interesting part of the entire boat. The captain stepped out with a respectful nod in their direction, responding to Felicity’s “thank you” with a smile.

“I can’t believe it has an actual wheel,” she said with a grin, stepping in further.

Her hand stretched out, hovering over the polished wooden wheel without actually touching it.

“You can sit there, you know,” Oliver said, nodding at the captain’s chair.

Felicity looked up at him with wide eyes before doing just that, laughing giddily as her feet dangled from the chair. She dared to touch the wheel, smoothing her hand over it before inspecting the controls that made zero sense to her.

“Where to, Captain Smoak?” Oliver asked, bracing his hands on the arms of the chair so that his chin was on her shoulder.

She hummed, considering his question.

“Second star to the right,” Felicity finally said.

Oliver smiled and turned his head, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“And straight on ‘til morning,” he finished.

She turned her head, looking at him curiously.

“Thea loved that movie when she was little,” Oliver said with a shrug.

“And I’m sure it didn’t speak to your younger self as well,” Felicity said, reaching up to pat his cheek. “A boy who never wants to grow up?”

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her teasing grin.

“Watch yourself. I can still mutiny,” he said, stepping up beside her. “You should press a button.”

Felicity stared up at him incredulously.

“I am not going to be responsible for the Queen’s Gambit, your father’s pride and joy, sinking to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean,” she said, shaking her head. “You press a button.”

“I know what all the buttons do. That’s not as fun,” Oliver said, sliding an arm around her waist.

Felicity let out a surprised shriek when he pulled her out of the chair and then lifted her fairly effortlessly onto a part of the console that had no buttons. Her shock turned into delight when she realized that they were on equal ground height-wise. Curling her fingers in his shirt, she pulled him between her legs and initiated the kiss. Oliver grinned against her lips as his hands settled on her thighs.

“We still haven’t seen everything,” he murmured, pulling away slightly from the kiss.

“How much more can there be?” Felicity wondered.

Oliver pointed up and she lifted her hands to his shoulders to steady her as she hopped off of the console.

“Well let’s head up there, Peter Pan,” she said, grabbing his hand to pull him out this time.

“That’s going to stick, isn’t it?” Oliver groaned.

“The second star to the right shines in the night for you,” Felicity sang off-key, knowing without looking back that it made him smile. “Hey, your favorite color  _ is _ green, isn’t it?”

He huffed and Felicity laughed as they reached the stairs on the other side of the upper indoor lounge. Once they climbed up, she felt even more impressed with all that this boat had to offer.

“Wow,” she said, scanning the top deck. “This is quite the setup.”

“I’m glad you approve,” Oliver said as she walked towards the jacuzzi.

Felicity reached over, dipping her fingers into the very warm water.

“Too bad neither of us are dressed for it,” she said, turning around to face him. “Maybe another time.”

“I am definitely going to take you up on that,” Oliver said, tugging her in with his hands on her hips.

She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, looking up into his eyes.

“Thank you for bringing me out here,” Felicity said, smiling up at him. “I had a very, very good time.”

“Thank you for coming with me,” Oliver said, returning the smile with ease. “But we haven’t even done my favorite thing.”

Felicity pulled away slightly, narrowing her eyes at him just as he realized how that sounded.

“That’s… I didn’t mean… obviously I’m not…”

She let out a giggle, shaking her head at him.

“Usually I’m the one babbling,” Felicity said.

Oliver let out a heavy sigh, touching his forehead to hers.

“I want to look at the stars,” he said.

“Oliver Queen,” she said, tilting his chin up to look at her. “You are quite the romantic. Who knew?”

“I keep it carefully hidden,” he said with complete seriousness before stepping away from her.

Felicity watched as he sat down on the deck before patting the spot next to him. She plopped down and looked over at him only to see that he was already lying back. Felicity did the same, looking up at the sky.

“They’re clearer out here than in the city,” Oliver said.

“It’s beautiful,” Felicity said, her eyes taking in the millions of twinkling lights.

Oliver softly touched the back of her hand and she flipped it over, lacing their fingers.

“FYI,” she said, tearing her eyes away from the sky to look over at him. “This is a much better first date than either of us came up with for the interview.”

He grinned at her, nodding once.

“Agreed.”

As they laid there looking up at the stars, Felicity wondered if this just might work out. Even more, she finally had hope that Oliver wouldn’t wind up resenting her. That was all that mattered, in the end. She didn’t really know how much time passed before she heard the sound of the anchor being pulled back up out of the water. Turning on her side, she saw that Oliver was already tilting his head towards her.

“Back to reality,” Felicity said quietly, unable to resist reaching up to brush her fingers over his jawline.

“We can come out again whenever you want,” he said, lifting his hand to catch hers.

She smiled, knowing that he meant it.

“This is not how I imagined this day ending,” Felicity admitted, propping her head on her hand.

“Neither did I,” Oliver admitted, tangling their fingers together lazily. “Especially after you took me to task this morning for being late.”

She sighed, shaking her head at the reminder.

“I was stressed,” Felicity reminded him.

“You sounded very much like an exasperated fiancée,” Oliver said, a smile blooming on his face.

“Well I am marrying an awfully stubborn man,” she said with a laugh before shaking her head with disbelief. “This is all happening really out of order.”

He looked at her with understanding just as the boat kicked on. Felicity pushed herself up to sit as Oliver stood and reached his hands out to her to pull her to her feet as well. Then he planted a soft kiss on her lips before leading her back through the yacht to the place where they started. Felicity barely pulled on her jacket before he was tugging her down onto the seats again, his arm around her shoulders and his face pressed into her hair. They stayed like that until they reached the marina. Felicity’s legs felt a little shaky as they walked off, which Oliver told her was normal.

“I never thought I’d see the day I rode a motorcycle and then took a ride on a yacht,” Felicity said as they made their way back towards the parking lot with their hands clasped together.

“I thought you’d refuse a little more on the motorcycle,” Oliver said honestly just as they reached the bike in question.

She shrugged, accepting the helmet from him once more.

“You are very convincing,” Felicity said before pulling it on over her head.

The drive back to her apartment was much different. The streets were nearly empty given the late hour, so she felt more comfortable relaxing as she pressed herself close to Oliver and reminded herself to move with him, leaning into turns and remaining still when he did. Her heart fell a little when they reached her building far sooner than she wanted. But Felicity slid off and handed the helmet to Oliver, gesturing for him to remain astride the bike.

“I can walk you up,” he offered once he pulled off his own helmet.

She shook her head, leaning down to kiss him deeply. Pulling away wasn’t easy. Felicity wanted nothing more than to kiss him all night long. But she finally took a reluctant step back and brushed her hair out of her face.

“See you tomorrow,” Felicity said, grinning at him.

Oliver nodded, returning the smile easily.

“Don’t forget the board meeting,” she said, falling back on her habits. “It’s at eleven.”

“I’ll make sure to wear my good tie,” he said seriously.

“I think you look good with no tie, but that’s just my personal preference,” Felicity said.

He looked amused.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Oliver called to her as she walked backwards towards the entrance to her building.

“Please do,” Felicity said with a parting wave before walking inside with that smile still fixed on her face. 

However unexpected, this evening was perfect. She could only hope that it was going to set the course for the next month until the wedding. If everything turned out to be this easy, it would be an absolutely breeze.

* * *

 

Walking through Queen Consolidated felt very different. Felicity wasn’t invisible anymore. If people weren’t gawking at her, they were whispering about her. After a few days of dealing with it, she felt more capable of ignoring it. They could talk all they wanted. It didn’t affect her one way or the other. Especially when she had Oliver at her side, his hand settled on her lower back where it seemed to consistently gravitate. Most of the employees didn’t dare say much at all lest he overhear them. When they reached the floor of the CEO”s office, however, the looks were very different. Some made Felicity uncomfortable. Others were more curious than anything else.

“When are we going to talk about me not being your EA anymore?” she murmured to Oliver as they headed towards the boardroom.

Oliver gave her an unamused look. Clearly he wasn’t quite ready to come to terms with that. Felicity only hoped that he would before the wedding. She got him to see sense on the prenup thing. Felicity just had to figure out the right angle to approach it from without him offering to make her Vice-President of Technology again. As everyone was called in to join the meeting, Oliver and Felicity waited until last, as they always did. It was easier to get the atmosphere of the room if they walked in last and got to look around at every seated board member while Oliver was standing.

It gave him an advantage and even an air of authority. The members looked on him with respect, especially as he waved them all to enter before he did. Today, however, that plan was pretty much moot when they walked into the room to see one other person standing on the other end of the table. A very familiar person, who caused both Felicity and Oliver to come up short as soon as they spotted her. The thin, constantly calculating smile formed on her face as she lifted her chin slightly. Felicity felt annoyance course through her at the mere sight of the other woman.

“Nice of you to join us,” Isabel Rochev said as if she commanded the room, drawing every eye to them.

It was bad enough that she was standing there. Even worse, she was taking a seat to the right of Robert Queen. Felicity felt Oliver tense next to her and lifted her hand without looking, placing it on his arm. Isabel’s eyes followed the motion and narrowed just slightly before she adopted the smug look again.

“Do you mind getting the door?” she asked, looking at Felicity.

Oliver opened his mouth to say something but Felicity wisely got there first.

“I’d be happy to,” she said, turning around to close the door.

Felicity knew exactly what this was. An attempt to leave her as the odd man out when Oliver sat down, because that’s what he would be expected to do. Isabel hadn’t missed a chance to demean her in the first few times they interacted and she certainly wouldn’t do so now. As Felicity resigned herself to embarrassment, turning back around, she was surprised to see Oliver still standing. Instead of sitting in the seat that he had pulled out, his eyes were on her and he nodded at her to sit first. She gave him a soft smile, crossing the room to take her seat. Only when she was situated did Oliver take his own seat without sparing Isabel another glance. Opening her leather portfolio, Felicity slipped her pen out of the holder as Oliver’s father stood to begin the meeting, quickly scrawling out a message to Oliver.

_ Isn’t she supposed to be in Russia? _

He read it quickly before tapping his finger twice on the table, letting her know in his own way that he would definitely be discussing it with his father later. Oliver was as happy about it as Felicity was. That was the only thing that kept her going through the meeting. Especially when Isabel stood up and began giving an update on the Russian branch of Queen Consolidated. When the meeting was finally over about an hour later, Felicity got all of her things together and glanced over at Oliver. He tilted his head towards the door, making it clear that he intended to talk to his father now.

“I’ll wait,” she said quietly, standing up.

Felicity found a place just outside of the doors where she was out of the way of the traffic coming out of the boardroom and heading towards the elevators. As she waited, she scrolled through her work emails.

“Miss Smoak.”

Her blood froze in her veins at the sound of her name in the she-devil’s voice. Lifting her head slowly, because she couldn’t just  _ not _ acknowledge her, Felicity forced a smile onto her face.

“Miss Rochev,” she said in response.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” she said with that infuriating smirk on her face. “You must be… very proud of yourself.”

The words could not have been more condescending if Isabel tried.

“I am,” Felicity said with a nod. “You would not believe the morning I had. My alarm decided not to go off so I was late waking up. I managed to wash up, make myself look like this…”

She paused, sweeping a hand over her appearance.

“Then on the way to work, I stopped for breakfast, successfully avoided the paparazzi that are pretty much permanently camped in front of the building these days, and I made it up to my office all with five minutes to spare. Who wouldn’t be proud of that?”

Isabel’s eyes narrowed, first at her and then at the man who came up behind her, sliding his arm around her waist.

“I certainly am,” Oliver said.

Felicity leaned into his side, silently daring Isabel to say something.

“Hello Oliver,” she chose.

“Mr. Queen,” he said coldly.

Felicity nearly flinched on Isabel’s behalf. Oliver never even asked someone to call him that, much less commanded it in that tone of voice.

“I heard that you were congratulating my fiancée,” he continued without giving her time to recover. “I thought I would come and thank you myself for your kind well wishes.”

One side of Isabel’s mouth ticked upwards as she stared at Oliver in a silent battle of the wills.

“I will see you soon, Mr. Queen,” she said before turning away without so much as looking at Felicity again.

They both let out a breath as she walked away, relaxing for the moment.

“She’s diabolical,” Felicity hissed.

Oliver simply hummed in agreement and she looked up at him.

“I know why I hate her but you’ll tell me your reasons eventually, right?” she asked.

“Later,” he said quietly, and somehow she knew that meant much sooner than eventually.

Felicity nodded, turning her head to watch Isabel walk to the elevator bank. If she thought that the room was pretty cold already, it turned into the freaking Arctic when Moira Queen stepped out of the elevator nearest Isabel and their eyes met. Oliver’s hand tensed at her hip and she heard his sharp intake of breath. For the first time, Felicity saw Isabel looking slightly off kilter as she slipped past Moira and into the elevator. It wasn’t until it closed behind her that the Queen matriarch turned around and headed straight for her and Oliver.

“Hey Mom,” he said, stepping forward to kiss her cheek.

“Oliver,” she said, smiling up at him before looking at Felicity. “Miss Smoak.”

“Please call me Felicity,” she said.

“Felicity,” Moira said with a nod.

“Are you here to see Dad?” Oliver asked.

She shook her head, glancing over their shoulders at where Robert was still in the boardroom talking to a few of the members.

“I actually came to see if I could convince your charming fiancée to take lunch with me.”

There was a list of about three dozen things that Felicity expected to hear Moira Queen say before  _ that _ . Feeling Oliver and Moira looking at her expectantly, she fought down a nervous babble in the works and nodded her head with a tremulous smile.

“I would love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> You can always send me fic prompts on tumblr. This fic was born out of such a prompt. Don't be afraid to do it!
> 
> **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **   
> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity has lunch with Moira, talks a few things over with Oliver, and goes on a shopping trip with Thea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this chapter took a few days extra. I've been dealing with some personal mental issues that have taken a lot out of me. I promise I'll try to update sooner this time.
> 
> Y'all still rock my world. Thank you so much. This fic just passed 900 kudos. I honestly never expected such an amazing response. Especially since I am so new to the fandom. I can't really explain how grateful and flattered I am. Thank you thank you thank you.
> 
> I am thinking about doing some standalone fics within this universe that add little scenes to the fic. Things like Oliver and Felicity’s first meeting, their trip to Russia, and other little missing scenes like that. Would anyone be interested?
> 
>  
> 
> **Felicity's Outfits:[Felicity's Apartment](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832826) | [Shopping with Thea](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832833)**

Felicity could not have felt more out of place if she tried. Rather than the upscale, trendy restaurant that Thea took her to on their lunch date, Moira decided to bring her to a quaint little tea room with china lying on every table that looked more expensive than all of Felicity’s belongings combined. Her bright red dress and matching lipstick stood out against the apparently unspoken pastels rule but Moira didn’t _seem_ to be embarrassed to have her sit at the same table. Felicity received her fair share of curious looks but none of them were outright hostile, much to her relief. The conversation in the room was limited to quiet murmurs. It felt like the restaurant equivalent of a library.

Ordering a simple vinaigrette salad seemed like the safest path for her to take. Moira followed suit, ordering nearly the exact same thing much to her relief. When they were left alone, Felicity found herself wishing that this place had some sort of wine instead of the long list of teas. Or maybe a few shots of tequila that she could take to calm her incredibly shaky nerves. But she was stuck with water, which was probably better for everyone considering that any alcohol may loosen her tongue even more than it already was.

“Thea tells me that you are going out tomorrow to find your dresses for the engagement party,” Moira said, showing the vaguest interest as she folded her hands atop the table.

“Yes,” Felicity said with a nod, clasping her fingers tightly in her lap. “I told her that I have a few formal dresses hanging in my closet but she didn’t even let me show them to her.”

“I fear that is for the best, Miss Smoak. It will be good to get something fresh. You are going to be scrutinized. This is your first official public outing with Oliver since you… announced your engagement.”

Felicity heard Moira’s disapproval clearly. She wasn’t too happy with how Oliver chose to reveal their relationship. Luckily he’d reassured both his mother and father that it was his idea, not Felicity’s, which they seemed to believe quite easily.

“Is it going to be much different than every other public outing this week?” Felicity asked, proud of herself for keeping her nerves out of her voice.

“Yes,” Moira said simply.

She fell silent, wondering what exactly the other woman was trying to accomplish here. Was this an intimidation tactic? Designed to make Felicity want to call it off all on her own? Remembering Diggle’s words from a few nights before, she couldn’t help but eye Moira’s purse where it was hanging over the back of her chair.

“Are you going to offer me money?” Felicity blurted before she could stop herself.

Moira’s eyebrow lifted slightly and she tilted her head to the side.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I just… I’ve heard rumors…” she took a deep breath, realizing that she was digging herself into a hole here. “I won’t take any money, Mrs. Queen. It’s the last thing that I want.”

For the first time since she met the woman, Felicity saw the slightest bit of amusement cross over Moira Queen’s face.

“I know that, Miss Smoak.”

“I… you do?” she said, her eyes widening slightly.

Felicity couldn’t help but wonder what exactly had changed her mind, considering that Moira had very much treated her like the conniving little gold digger that half the country was certain Felicity had to be.

“I got a call from one of our lawyers who was present in the meeting that you and Oliver had at the firm,” Moira said.

 _That_ did not come as any surprise.

“So much for attorney-client privilege,” Felicity muttered.

“He did not tell me any specifics. Only that when it came time to discuss the prenuptial agreement, my son was as resistant as I warned them he would be, and that he only agreed to it because you convinced him that it was necessary.”

Felicity swallowed hard, looking down at her lap before speaking.

“I didn’t do it because Oliver’s trust fund or inheritance needs any protection from me,” she said quietly, twisting her fingers in the white napkin that sat in her lap. “It’s for his place at the company. It shows that he’s serious about looking to the future and protecting the company even above his own interests, and that of his… wife.”

Felicity felt strange saying the last word. It still didn’t seem entirely real. When she finally looked up at Moira, the approval that she saw in her gaze caught her off guard

“You are quite different from what I expected,” Moira said.

At this point, Felicity was certain that she had to be dreaming. Because that almost just sounded like her future mother-in-law admitting that she was wrong, something that Felicity wasn’t even sure she was capable of until now.

“My son is well on his way to the position that will one day be his but there are enough enemies standing in his way that he cannot afford to sabotage his own chances,” Moira continued.

“Enemies like Isabel Rochev,” Felicity said.

It wasn’t a question and Moira didn’t even flinch at her name despite the ice cold interaction between them only an hour ago.

“She will try her best to undermine Oliver’s importance in the company,” Moira said with a nod, a hint of concern in her voice. “I wish I were in a better position to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

“We won’t let it happen,” Felicity said, taking them both by surprise with her vehemence. “Oliver’s earned his place.”

Moira stared at her for several moments before giving Felicity a very small, but still significant smile.

“I believe I’m starting to see why my son is so taken with you,” she said.

That sounded as close to a blessing as Felicity was going to get for now. She gladly took it, returning the smile.

“We should discuss official engagement portraits to release to the public and there are several magazines that have approached the Queen Consolidated public relations office looking to do an interview with you and Oliver. The PR director will narrow it down to three. You and Oliver can choose from there. We are allowing a few photographers into the engagement party but the wedding is going to be a closed event. There will obviously be security in both places to ensure that only those who we invite are allowed in. We also need to discuss a bodyguard for you. I know that when you are with Oliver, John Diggle is there as well. But when you are alone, we need to ensure that you will be protected. Many people seek to target our family and you are now tied to us. If you have any preferences, we can certainly work around that. I’m sure that it would make my son feel better knowing that you are safe when he’s not around. Do you have any questions so far, Miss Smoak?”

Felicity stared at her, remaining quiet for far longer than she should have. It was a lot to take in.

“So far?” she finally managed to say.

Moira nodded, taking a sip of her water before answering.

“Being a Queen means taking a lot of details into account before making any decisions,” she said, leaning back as the waiter arrived with their salads. “Now are you and Oliver going to move in together before or after the wedding?”

Felicity picked up her fork, shoving an entirely unladylike amount of salad into her mouth as she tried to cope with the realization that things had been far too easy up to this point. Apparently, becoming Oliver’s wife wasn’t as simple as standing at an altar and reciting some words. Suddenly, Felicity wished that she’d taken Diggle up on the offer of a town hall elopement.

* * *

Hours later, after a day full of meetings, a short commute back to her apartment, and a long amount of time spent soaking in a warm bath, Felicity found herself in front of her fridge wishing for something edible to appear that wasn’t a condiment. As if summoned by her thoughts, a knock came on the door and she closed her fridge, crossing over to peer through the peephole. A light blush filled her cheeks at what she was wearing but Felicity opened the door anyway, unwilling to make him wait long enough for her to change.

“You must be some kind of mind reader,” Felicity said once she opened the door, smiling at Oliver nervously.

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes dropping to her unicorn-printed pajama shorts before lifting to meet hers again with the slightest bit of amusement and something else.

“I heard that you had a salad for lunch,” he said, holding up a paper bag with the Big Belly Burger logo printed on the side.

“A mind reader _and_ a hero,” Felicity said approvingly, stepping aside to let him in.

Oliver slipped past her and into the kitchen, setting the bag down on her small island.

“You seemed pretty shaken after your lunch with my mom,” he said.

Felicity closed her door, hesitating to turn around and face him.

“It was fine,” she said with a shrug, moving forward to grab them both plates from her cabinet.

“Felicity,” Oliver said slowly.

“She had a lot of questions,” Felicity said with a sigh, turning around with the plates. “It was just… overwhelming.”

“Like what?” Oliver asked.

She set them down on the counter, scrubbing her hands down her face before answering.

“What magazine do we want to interview with? When are we moving in together? What color scheme do I want to have for the wedding? Am I going to take your last name completely or hyphenate? How many bridesmaids do I want to have? Who is going to be my maid of honor? Who is going to give me away at the wedding? Are we going to move into a new apartment or am I just going to move into yours? Do I have a preference for what type of bodyguard I’m going to have?”

“Hey,” Oliver said, cupping her face gently. “Breathe.”

Felicity did just that, taking several deep breaths until he dropped his hands.

“We can figure all of that out. My mom just has a way of plowing through things but we can take them one at a time,” he offered, unloading the food from the bag.

She nodded, snatching several french fries off of her plate to eat.

“I’ve never been to a tea room before,” Felicity said, opening her fridge to pull out the ketchup. “Not sure I ever want to again.”

“I wish I could tell you that you’ll never have to again,” Oliver said regrettably.

She grimaced at him before squeezing out a fair amount of the condiment onto her plate before handing it over to him.

“What are we going to do about our living arrangements?”

Oliver paused, glancing over at her.

“I… kind of hoped you’d move in with me.”

Felicity paused in the middle of taking a bite of her burger, raising an eyebrow at him. He had to wait until she chewed and swallowed.

“You hoped?” she repeated, crossing her arms over her chest. “I love my apartment. Why would you just assume that I’m willing to leave it?”

Oliver shrugged, taking a bite of his own burger.

“My place is bigger, newer, and in a better neighborhood,” he said simply, stepping around her to grab a cup so that he could fill it up with water. “It makes sense.”

“What makes you think that I want to move into your… your bachelor pad?” Felicity demanded, getting even more annoyed. “How many women have slept with you in that bed again?”

He let out a laugh, which was exactly the wrong thing to do in her book.

“Does that really bother you?” Oliver asked.

Felicity inhaled deeply, trying not to blow up at him completely. It was hard to remind herself that this was a marriage of convenience. Especially with how tangled up things had gotten in the past few days. Not that she was complaining. It had been a very enjoyable few days up until now.

“Yes, it bothers me,” Felicity said.

“Because you’re jealous?” Oliver asked, turning around to face her.

She grabbed a fry off of his plate and launched it at him, watching as it bounced off of his chest.

“I am _not_ moving into your apartment,” Felicity said, metaphorically putting her foot down before turning away from him.

“Well I don’t particularly want to move into this one,” Oliver said.

“We’re off to a great start at this ‘taking it one at a time’ thing,” she said sarcastically before taking a big bite of her burger.

Oliver moved back towards the island after throwing away the fry that she hit him with.

“How about a compromise?” he suggested.

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if this was really going to be a compromise.

“What?” she said warily before wiping at her mouth with a napkin.

“You come up with a list of three places and I do the same. We go see all six apartments and I choose one that I like from your list. You choose one that you like from mine. If we can’t come to a decision between those last two, we do a coin toss to decide between them.”

Felicity stared at him for several moments.

“You want to leave the choice of our future apartment up to a coin toss?” she asked.

“It’s a fair process,” Oliver said.

She couldn’t really deny that. It was as good as anything she might have come up with to solve this conundrum. Shaking her head, Felicity stuck her hand out towards him while realizing that he’d calmed her brewing anger with his olive branch.

“You have a deal,” she said.

“Good,” Oliver said, shaking her head with a smile. “Because there is something I’ve wanted to do all day long.”

Felicity let out a surprised noise as he tugged her towards him to kiss her. She couldn’t help but smile against his lips, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she responded eagerly.

“I’m totally hyphenating,” Felicity murmured, pulling away slightly.

“We should do our interview with Playboy,” Oliver responded without missing a beat.

She smacked his arm lightly with a laugh before pushing up on her toes to kiss him again. Oliver’s arms wrapped around her back. Felicity could feel his warm touch all too easily through her thin tank top. When he pressed her back against the cabinet, she gasped against his lips as he lifted her up onto the counter and settled between her legs, one of his hands dropping to her knee. Felicity couldn’t hold back her shudder when he began trailing his fingers slowly and down the outside of her bare thigh. Warmth flooded her body as she tilted her head away from him, fighting to catch a breath.

“We haven’t finished eating,” Felicity said, her mouth getting away from her and _not_ in a good way.

Oliver stilled for just a moment before pulling away from her with an amused shine in his eyes.

“I see where I fall on the list of priorities,” he teased, easing her down from the counter.

Felicity beamed up at him, shrugging one shoulder as she tried to battle the urge to jump his bones here and now. It was too soon for that particular step but that knowledge didn’t make it any less tempting.

“I’ve always been clear about where my loyalties lie,” she said, ducking under his arm to pick up her food. “Let’s take this to a more comfortable place.”

Oliver laughed as she made her way into the living room. By the time she situated herself on the couch, he was seated in the chair with his own plate.

“So…” Felicity said between bites, realizing that her curiosity had waited long enough. “Tell me about Isabel.”

His good humor faded and she almost regretted bringing it up. But Felicity had the feeling that she’d need all the details if they were going to handle whatever the woman had up her sleeve. There was no doubt in her mind that they’d have to weather it together, just like they did in Russia.

“She was an intern at the Starling City branch of Queen Consolidated,” Oliver said.

Felicity paused in her eating long enough to look at him with shock.

“Seriously?” she said.

He nodded, staring off at nothing as he ate mechanically.

“Let’s just say that she… caught my dad’s eye.”

“Oh,” Felicity said, turning that information over in her mind. “ _Oh_.”

“Yeah,” Oliver huffed.

She didn’t say anything for a while as it sunk in.

“So all the cracks she made about us…” Felicity trailed off.

“Immensely hypocritical,” Oliver finished for her.

She shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around the new information.

“So why was she exiled to Russia?”

“When my father ended the affair, he gave her some hush money but apparently it wasn’t enough. So he offered her a damn good job so long as she moved to Russia and never tried to contact him again,” he answered, strangely detached as he filled in the details for her.

Felicity set her plate aside, reaching out to take his hand. The touch jolted him back and he met her gaze.

“How do you know all of this?” she asked.

It was hard to imagine either Moira or Robert telling him any details about this particular subject.

“I dug it all up a few years ago. My father was set to take a trip to Russia and my mother was pretty angry about it. I was too curious not to figure out why.”

Felicity pressed her ilps together as she tried to figure out exactly what to say.

“I know my father has had multiple affairs, Felicity. That’s not exactly a secret in my family. Even Thea knows on a basic level, even though she tries her best to pretend like she doesn’t,” Oliver said, seeing right through her to the dilemma she was experiencing. “What I don’t understand is what that woman is doing back in Starling City sitting at my father’s right hand.”

“Do you think they’ve… rekindled things?” Felicity asked.

Oliver shrugged but his careless exterior was betrayed by the way his hand tightened around hers.

“I’d be lying if I said I’m not worried about why she’s here,” he admitted.

Felicity recalled Moira’s concerned expression earlier that day and her own emphatic response.

“We’ll figure it out,” she said, wanting to reassure him. “Together. Just like everything else.”

Oliver looked at her like he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing.

“You sure you want to get involved with the Queen family?” he asked jokingly, clearly trying to lighten the suddenly serious mood. “We’ve got a bunch of closets full of skeletons.”

Felicity considered that for a moment before standing up and taking the few steps over to the chair.

“I am willing to take on all of your skeletons, Oliver Queen,” she said, climbing onto his lap much like she had on the Queen’s Gambit. “They don’t scare me one bit.”

He shook his head, staring at her with the slightest bit of awe in his eyes.

“You haven’t finished eating,” Oliver said, repeating her earlier slip.

Felicity grinned at him, stroking her thumb over his bristly jaw.

“My priorities have shifted,” she said.

He chuckled, shaking his head at her silly smile.

“You think you’ll ever stop keeping me on my toes?” Oliver asked.

“Probably not,” Felicity said before leaning in to kiss him.

She may not have been ready to go much further, but Felicity couldn't seem to stop kissing him.

* * *

Felicity had never been to a store quite like this. Sure, she’d admired the luxury shops from afar but never imagined actually stepping through the door. But here she was, standing just inside the entrance of a shop staring at dresses that costed more than her monthly rent while a well-dressed sales associate handed her a glass of champagne and addressed her as “Miss Smoak” without even having to ask her name. Thea didn’t even blink an eye, smiling brightly as she took her own glass and crossed to a rack of evening gowns.

“You looked fantastic at my dad’s birthday party but you can’t wear red again so soon,” Thea said, glancing over at her thoughtfully before looking at the dresses again.

Felicity barely heard her as she stepped further inside, keeping her hands to herself as she admired the clothes, accessories, and shoes that surrounded her. Sipping at the clearly expensive champagne, she smiled politely at another associate who offered to put anything in a dressing room that she wanted to try on.

“I’m not sure this is the right place, Thea,” Felicity said, recovering from a mini heart attack at the sight of a price tag.

“Don’t be silly. It’s the right place. I organized a charity gala for the Starling City Fire Department last year and I got my dress at this very store. I’m pretty sure I wound up in Vogue’s celebrity style section. Anyway, this place is perfect to find a dress for your official debut as Oliver Queen’s fiancée. Do you have a color preference?”

Up until now, Felicity had seen similarities between Moira and Thea Queen but it mostly extended to their physical appearance. Now she could see that it went a little deeper than that. They were both sort of like storms that were very hard to withstand, especially when they were fixated on something.

“I’ll trust your judgment,” Felicity said, knowing that it was probably better just to let it happen since the younger girl definitely knew far more about all of this.

She almost regretted saying the words. Not ten minutes later, she found herself in a dressing room with one of the associates pretty much playing the role of barbie doll for a very delighted Thea Queen.

“No long sleeves. She has great shoulders and we shouldn’t cover them up. I’m sure everyone is expecting her to wear something demure and light so let’s go for bold but still classy enough to fit in at the venue.”

Felicity listened to Thea’s stream of consciousness speaking as the associate zipped her up into a strapless fuchsia dress that complimented her well. But when she stepped out, Thea circled her twice before meeting her gaze.

“What do you think?” she asked, gesturing to the wall of mirrors that allowed Felicity to see the dress at every angle.

“I think it’s a pretty color but it’s also plain,” Felicity said, running her hands over the chiffon skirt.

Thea beamed at her in the mirror.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

With that Felicity disappeared into the dressing room to change into another. Nearly two dozen dresses later, she knew which one was her favorite as soon as she stepped into it and zipped it up herself. When she ducked through the curtain hiding her in the small fitting room, Felicity knew from the look on Thea’s face that she wasn’t the only one who approved.

“I really love it,” Felicity admitted.

The brilliant grin that matched her own was the only reply that she needed. Lifting the dress in the front so that she could walk without tripping, Felicity made her way to the mirrors and turned this way and that, admiring each and every angle.

“Ollie is going to lose his damn mind,” Thea said.

Felicity’s smile faltered.

“Oh Thea I can’t afford this,” she said with a shake of her head. “Maybe if we look in the sales rack, there might be something in a similar color.”

Thea scoffed, waving her hand carelessly.

“You’re about to be a Queen, Felicity,” she said, moving to stand in front of her. “What’s ours is yours.”

Part of Felicity balked at that. She’d been on her own for so long that the idea of someone else paying for something as simple as a dress made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Especially since, at the heart of it all, this was still a ruse to keep her from being deported. She couldn’t let herself forget that. But there was probably no dissuading Thea and it was a very beautiful dress. Felicity would just have to figure out a way to pay them back.

“It needs to be taken in a little bit at the waist. You should be able to do that by Saturday, right?” Thea asked.

Felicity felt bad for the rush but the associates didn’t hesitate to confirm that they could have it done by Saturday morning quite easily.

“I’m not used to dressing people who aren’t me,” Thea said happily, stepping back to take in the full image of Felicity in the dress. “I can’t wait to find your wedding dress.”

Biting down on her lower lip, Felicity silently admitted that she could hardly wait for it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
>   **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **  
>  Next chapter is the engagement party and we are going to see a few fresh faces.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The engagement party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all of you. I can't say it enough. Because of all of you, this fic has passed 1000 kudos and I'm honestly in awe. Thank you thank you thank you.
> 
> This chapter is kind of a filler. I'm not too proud of it but it is over 7k so I'm not about to delete it either. Just please don't judge me too harshly. I kind of hit a bit of writer's block with this fic and had to push through it. I promise that the next chapter will be much better.
> 
> [Felicity's Dress](https://urstyle.com/styles/1832841)

When Felicity woke up to the sound of knocking, part of her was tempted to find the nearest blunt object to use as a weapon. Turning over, she peered at her alarm clock and let out a blistering curse that happened to be one of Oliver’s favorites. She basically fell out of bed and just happened to land mostly on her feet. Felicity didn’t even grab her glasses, stumbling her way through her apartment and to the door. She should have looked through the peephole but instead she unlocked the door and yanked it open with a scowl. Before Felicity could say a single word, Oliver held up a paper grocery bag.

“Chocolate chip pancakes?” he asked.

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him, considering whether to allow him past the threshold. For a lot of women in the city, Oliver Queen showing up on their doorstep offering to make them breakfast and looking far better than he had any right to at such an early hour was a fantasy. For Felicity, it was grounds for homicide.

“I want extra chocolate chips,” she said conditionally.

Oliver gave her a dimpled smile and Felicity found herself stepping to the side.

“I think I’ve used the stove maybe three times since I moved in,” she said, closing and locking the door. “I hope it doesn’t set you on fire or anything.”

He let out a low laugh, sounding unconcerned by her warning as she slipped past him to turn on the coffee maker. She just started to reach up into the cabinet to retrieve a mug when Oliver’s arm slid around her waist.

“I’ll take care of all this,” he said, skimming his nose over her temple.

Despite her best efforts, Felicity couldn’t help but shiver and lean back into him the slightest bit.

“You should go take a hot shower, relax, get ready for the day,” Oliver suggested, his thumb slipping beneath her shirt to brush over her hip.

She let her head tip back onto his shoulder with a sigh.

“Are you trying to make up for waking me up at an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning?” Felicity asked.

Oliver paused and she could tell he was fighting amusement when he spoke again.

“It’s nine-thirty,” he said.

“Ungodly,” she repeated.

“I have it on good authority that Thea wants you to be at the mansion at eleven.”

Felicity let out a groan without moving from his arms. It felt good to lean into him. Really good. It was almost hard to believe that only a week had passed since they started this whole thing, yet in about three weeks, she’d be married to him.

“Maybe I’ll write an exposé about how the Queen siblings are proficient in torture,” she said thoughtfully, turning around in his arms to look up at him. “Specifically how they band together to deprive good people of sleep.”

Oliver didn’t even react, brushing his thumb over her jaw.

“Our engagement party is today,” he said.

Felicity swallowed hard. As if she could forget that. It was their first official public appearance together. There would be pictures and introductions and a lot of eyes on her. Felicity could only hope that Moira came through with some good expensive wine because she’d definitely need it to calm her nerves.

“Do I even want to know why it takes almost an entire day to get ready for these things?” Felicity asked.

Oliver gave her a sympathetic smile.

“You’re about to find out,” he said.

Felicity frowned up at him.

“Let me guess, you just have to take a shower, put a little gel in your hair, and slap on a tux,” she said.

He smiled, leaning down to press a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. Felicity let it go on for a few moments before pulling away.

“It’s unfair,” Felicity said.

“Yeah but I’m making you chocolate chip pancakes. That has to make up for it a little.”

She considered that for a moment before pushing up to kiss him again.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she said, ducking out of his arms. “Don’t forget my extra chocolate chips.”

“I would never.”

An hour later, Felicity was full of pancakes and draped sideways across Oliver’s lap in her armchair. He was playing with a lock of her loose hair as she stroked her fingers over the back of his neck.

“Can’t we just stay here all day?” she sighed, feeling perfectly content at the moment.

Oliver didn’t say anything, though the look in his eyes told her that he wished for the same thing. Felicity moved her hand up, running her fingers through his soft hair.

“You get to see your friends,” he reminded her.

“Yeah they’re definitely gonna have an earful for me,” Felicity said, shaking her head. “There’s a chance that I’ve been vague on the details of exactly how this all came about. And by details I mean the romantic, sweet story. Not the deportation one. I hate to lie to them but I know they can’t know the truth. So I’ve just been… vague.”

Oliver nodded, running his hand over her jean-clad thigh.

“It’s hard with Tommy,” he said, his eyes lowering. “And Thea.”

Felicity felt a stab of guilt and let out a soft sigh. As hard as it was for her, it was probably doubly hard for Oliver. She was getting more out of this arrangement. He was deceiving everyone important in his life for her.

“Not too late to back out,” Felicity offered.

His eyes snapped up to her and she saw a hint of a smile tug at his lips before he turned serious again.

“How many times do I have to tell you that’s not going to happen?” Oliver asked.

“And if there’s fallout with the people you love?” Felicity said.

“I’ll make it up to them.”

She couldn’t help the frown that formed on her face. Keeping things from the people he loved and asking for forgiveness after the fact seemed more like something that the Oliver Queen of a few years ago would have done. Felicity hated to think that she was dragging him back down to that level.

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not true,” Oliver said, brushing his thumb over her cheek.

“You don’t know that.”

He lifted her chin and met her eyes again.

“There is very little I wouldn’t do to keep you around, Felicity,” Oliver said.

The intensity in his voice and his eyes caught her off guard. Felicity honestly had no idea what to say to that. Luckily, she was saved by a knock on the door.

“That’ll be Dig,” Oliver said.

She nodded, turning away to slide off of his lap. When he caught her hand as they stood, Felicity glanced up at him and knew that he wanted to say something else. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to hear it. So she pushed up on her toes and cut him off with a kiss. It was a manipulative move but Felicity needed to take a breath before anymore intense conversations happened. Oliver seemed to know that because there was understanding in his eyes when he pulled away.

“You ready?” he asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Felicity said, squeezing his hand lightly.

They made their way to the door together, both preparing themselves for whatever the day may bring.

* * *

Felicity couldn’t sit down. It wasn’t that she was physically incapable. She was just afraid of Thea’s reaction if she so much as jostled a hair out of place. After almost a full day of being poked, prodded, scrubbed, plucked, and pretty much treated like a barbie doll, Felicity was ready for a night of rest. Instead, she had a night of flashing cameras and intense stares to look forward to. She stood perfectly still in the middle of Thea’s bedroom, waiting as her future sister-in-law put on her dress in the bathroom.

Nervously, Felicity twisted her engagement ring round and round her finger as she tried to focus on the fact that this would all be over in just a few hours. That, and the fact that Oliver was somewhere in this same building wearing a tuxedo. Hopefully with suspenders. Felicity was definitely going to make her disappointment known if he wasn’t wearing them. She may have had a thing for suspenders. And Oliver. She definitely had a thing for Oliver. It was probably better for everyone if he wasn’t wearing suspenders. Felicity really didn’t need any inappropriate thoughts accidentally making it outside of her mouth that night.

“You’re blushing,” Thea informed her as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Felicity pressed her lips together, running her hands over the embroidery on her skirt. She wasn’t about to admit to Thea that she had a thing for her brother in suspenders. Glancing over at her, Felicity couldn’t help but smile.

“You look beautiful,” she said, slightly in awe of the genetics that seemed to give every single Queen great bone structure.

“Oh please,” Thea said, waving her off. “I don’t hold a candle to you right now, which is good because it’s your night. No one is allowed to outshine you.”

Felicity nearly groaned at the reminder.

“I would be happy to be outshone,” she said honestly.

Thea rolled her eyes, leaning over her vanity to sweep a light layer of lipstick on. It was fairly tame compared to the color that Felicity was wearing. Everything about what she wore could have been in the dictionary next to the world ‘bold’ and she knew that flying under the radar would be impossible.

“I can’t wait to see Ollie’s face,” Thea said with a grin as she straightened up.

Felicity felt heat filling her cheeks again. They were going to ride to the party together, which meant that he was going to see her any minute.

“Let’s go.”

Make that any second. Felicity carefully lifted her very expensive dress off of the ground so that she wouldn’t get it caught up in the heels that she wore. Thea’s dress was much more manageable since it had no train or tulle to contend with. Felicity was content to let her go ahead as she prayed to whatever deity may be listening that she did not fall at any point in the evening. When they got to the stairs, she felt even less confident in her ability to remain upright. Especially when she saw Oliver hovering near the door with his back turned to her. His father was facing the stairs as they spoke so he spotted them first.

“Hold onto the bannister,” Thea told her, somehow sensing her balance fears.

“Thank you,” Felicity whispered back. “For everything.”

The younger girl shot her a wide grin before making her way down first, her own hand on the thick wooden bannister. When Robert nodded up at them, Oliver turned around just as Felicity took the first step. She quickly lowered her eyes, keeping one trembling hand on the bannister and the other fisted in her dress to keep it out of the way of her feet. Felicity found herself counting the steps as she made her way down, her heart beating quickly in her chest. When she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, there was no reason to keep looking down.

So she slowly lifted her head and found Oliver standing much closer to the stairs than before. Felicity’s breath caught in her throat at the awestruck look in his eyes. He looked as good as she anticipated, with his black tuxedo working wonders on his already impressive figure. She started to bite down on her lip but resisted, knowing Thea would come up with a lecture for messing up her lipstick. When Oliver took a slow step forward, Felicity did the same, paying zero attention to anyone else in the room.

“I would do a little spin for you but I’m honestly terrified that I’ll fall over,” Felicity said quietly, a smile playing on her lips.

Oliver let out a laugh, moving even closer to her. When he reached his hand out, she took it without hesitation.

“I won’t let you fall,” he promised, drawing her in closer.

Warm shivers ran down her spine and she smiled wider as his eyes flitted over her face before traveling down to take in the dress. When he met her gaze again, the appreciation in his eyes caused her to blush yet again.

“There aren’t words for how breathtaking you look,” Oliver said, his quiet words meant only for her.

“I think you just did a good job,” Felicity told him, squeezing his hand. “I’m pretty sure that everything I’m wearing costs more than three months of rent for my apartment. Including this jewelry. Does it really cost thousands of dollars to _rent_ diamonds?”

“It does when they come from Harry Winston,” Thea piped up from nearby.

Her eyes widened and she reached up to touch one of the earrings she wore.

“Forget about keeping me on my feet. Your job is to make sure I don’t lose any of this jewelry,” Felicity told Oliver.

He chuckled, reaching his hand up.

“Do not mess up her hair or makeup,” Thea said, a threat in her voice.

“She’s my fiancée,” Oliver reminded her.

“And you can kiss her every day for the rest of your lives. Leave her lipstick alone.”

Felicity bit back a laugh as he looked at her for help.

“You can kiss me after the pictures,” she said softly.

“I heard that,” Thea said.

More laughter rose up in the room, finally pulling Felicity’s attention away from Oliver and to his family. Moira and Robert looked as impeccable as always.

“My son is right,” Moira said, giving her a nod and a small smile. “You look lovely.”

“All thanks to Thea,” Felicity said.

“I’ll take my curtain call later,” Thea said, though she was clearly preening under the praise. “We have a party to get to, don’t we?”

After instructing them to wait a few minutes before getting in their own limousine, the other Queens left Felicity alone in the foyer with Oliver. She turned to face him once they were gone, reaching up to straighten his bowtie without thinking.

“No chance of skipping this whole thing to grab dinner at Big Belly, huh?” she asked nervously.

Oliver shook his head.

“It’ll be over before you know it,” he said.

Felicity let out a sigh, shifting on her feet. She stilled immediately when Oliver leaned in, pressing his lips to her cheek.

“You’ll be great,” he said softly, skimming his nose over her jaw. “You are going to charm every single person at that hotel and then, when it’s over, I promise you that I will make it up to you.”

“How-how do you plan to do that?” Felicity asked, her voice slightly husky as his warm breath washed over the sensitive spot behind the ear that wasn’t covered by her hair.

“You’ll just have to wait.”

She narrowed her eyes at the teasing tone in his voice. Then he scraped his teeth over her earlobe and Felicity nearly collapsed into him as her knees went weak and heat rushed through her body.

“Green is my favorite color,” Oliver said, sounding as affected as she felt.

“I know,” Felicity said, turning her head to meet his eyes.

Before he really could kiss her senseless and completely mess up her makeup, as she could tell he was tempted to do, a knock came on the door.

“Are you ready, Mr. Queen?” their driver for the night called through the door.

Oliver gave her a grin and a wink before squeezing her hand lightly.

“Yes we are.”

* * *

If Felicity thought that the paparazzi was bad up until now, it was nothing compared to the hoard of photographers and reporters that awaited them outside of The Pierre hotel. She knew that Moira hired a few professionals to take pictures inside and barred all other members of the press for the private party. So this was their only chance to capture pictures of her and Oliver. She knew that they wouldn’t waste the opportunity.

“They’ll want most of our pictures together but they may ask to get a few of us alone,” Oliver told her.

She nodded, staring past him through window with wide eyes.

“I think I might go blind before we make it inside,” Felicity said.

“There’s a glass of great wine waiting for you on the other side of those doors.”

She looked at Oliver, unable to keep from smiling.

“You really know the way to a girl’s heart,” Felicity said.

Oliver gave her a smile of his own before reaching out to open his door. The shouts and camera flashes began as soon as they saw him climb out. He turned his back on them, reaching his hand out to her. As Felicity laced her fingers through his, she took a deep breath and mustered up all of her bravery before climbing out as gracefully as she could. The sound of her name being shouted from every direction stunned her as Oliver led her down the carpet that led up to the hotel’s doors.

As grateful as she was not to be pushing her way through the photographers, Felicity couldn’t help but feel just as overwhelmed as always. Oliver was an anchor at her side, keeping her grounded as she smiled as best she could and answered a few shouted questions about her dress and the jewelry that she was wearing. His arm was around her waist, his hand settled over her hip. When a brazen photographer asked if it was true that Oliver was seen getting up close and personal with Helena Bertinelli at Verdant last week, his grip grew just a little bit tighter. Felicity turned to look at him, seeing the tension in the set of his jaw and the coolness of his eyes.

“Look at me,” she said just loud enough for him, and no one else, to hear.

Oliver did, turning his head to meet her eyes. Felicity smiled a genuine smile for the first time since climbing outside of the car. His eyes softened just a little as she reached up, laying her hand over the one that was still on her hip.

“Are you wearing suspenders?” Felicity asked.

He looked a little confused for a moment before nodding. She didn’t really know why she asked. It was a dangerous piece of information to have. But she wanted to see that warmth back in his eyes.

“I might have a thing for suspenders,” she said in a hushed voice.

Oliver stared at her with surprise before a grin finally broke out over his face.

“That’s good to know,” he said.

“I thought you’d like that,” she laughed.

He leaned in, brushing his lips over her forehead much to the delight of the photographers all around them. Then they were heading towards the entrance, mutually deciding that they’d given them enough money shots without saying a word. Once they were inside, Felicity felt like she could finally take a breath. They were almost immediately greeted by the hotel manager, who looked delighted to see them.

“Mr. Queen, Miss Smoak,” he said, nodding at them both. “We are honored that you chose The Pierre to host your engagement celebration.”

“It was our first choice, Mr. Calhoun,” Oliver lied seamlessly, reaching out to shake his hand.

The man looked thrilled, shaking his hand eagerly. When he turned to lead them to the main ballroom, Felicity couldn’t help but look around in awe of the expensive hotel that she hadn’t stepped foot in before now. It was the very definition of extravagant. Felicity felt beyond out of place, even in the gorgeous gown that she wore with an equally gorgeous man at her side. As they reached the doors of the ballroom, Oliver rearranged their hands so that she was holding onto his elbow.

“I’m getting that naked dream feeling again,” Felicity muttered for his ears only.

“Just stick with me,” Oliver told her.

She had every intention of doing so. When they walked through the doors that were opened for them by two ushers, it seemed like every single eye fell on them. Unlike Robert Queen’s birthday party, this event was all about Felicity and Oliver. They were undoubtedly going to be the center of attention whether she liked it or not. Oliver swiped two glasses of champagne off of a passing waiter’s tray before anyone could approach them, handing one off to her.

“It’s not wine but it’ll have to do for now,” he said.

She wasn’t about to complain, taking a long sip of the bubbly liquid. Then they were in deep, moving from one conversation to another as Oliver proudly introduced her to every person that they came across, his hand a constant comfort on her lower back. It took over thirty minutes of fake smiles and boring small talk before Felicity finally came across a few faces that she recognized.

“Oh my God!”

Iris was the first one to see her. Felicity smiled for real this time, embracing her gently. Barry wasn’t far behind, giving her a warm grin before hugging her as well. Cisco and Caitlin came next.

“You all look great,” Felicity said, admiring Iris and Caitlin in particular.

“Yeah right,” Caitlin said with a shake of her head.

“Seriously, if we’re going to admire anyone here it’s you,” Iris said, taking in Felicity’s dress with an awestruck expression that didn’t change in the slightest when her eyes fell on Oliver. “And we can’t even be mad at you when this is what you’ve been hiding from us.”

She reached out, smacking Felicity’s arm.

“Oliver Queen?”

Her excited voice was clear enough to anyone who was listening.

“I guess I don’t need to introduce myself,” Oliver said with a smile of his own.

His looked real as well.

“Definitely not,” Cisco jumped in, looking as though he was restraining himself.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell any of you,” Felicity said, reaching out to take Oliver’s hand. “We wanted to make sure it was real.”

“Seems pretty real to me,” Iris said, snatching up her left hand to admire the ring with Caitlin.

She couldn’t help but laugh, glancing up at Oliver.

“I think you already have their approval,” Felicity said.

He looked amused, squeezing her hand lightly.

“You seem happy,” Barry said, looking happy for her.

When Iris grinned at him and stepped into his arms to kiss his cheek, Felicity realized that she wasn’t the only one. Apparently they finally decided to stop dancing around one another. She was glad to see it.

“Oliver, this is Iris West, Barry Allen, Caitlin Snow, and Cisco Ramon,” she said, pointing to them one at a time. “I went to MIT with Cisco, who is childhood best friends with Caitlin. They both work at S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City where they met Barry when he consulted with them on a case. He works with the police department as a forensic scientist with Iris’ dad. They’re my closest friends.”

“I’m glad to meet you all,” Oliver said, shaking hands with them each individually. “I’ve been waiting to meet Felicity’s friends.”

“Let me guess. You want some embarrassing college stories,” Cisco said.

Oliver’s eyes lit up as Felicity’s grew panicked.

“Oh yes,” he said.

“No,” Felicity said, shaking her head.

“Let’s just say that she had the goth look going when I met her,” Cisco said.

Barry let out a laugh as Iris pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Caitlin shot Felicity a sympathetic look.

“I’ve told him that already,” Felicity said.

“But have you showed him the pictures?” Cisco asked, looking devious.

Her eyes widened but Oliver couldn’t have looked more delighted if he tried.

“You have pictures?” he asked

“So many,” Cisco confirmed.

“I will uninvite you to the wedding,” Felicity threatened through gritted teeth, already regretting bringing Cisco and Oliver together.

“Oliver will invite me back,” he said confidently.

Iris reached out, touching Felicity’s arm.

“Wine?” she said.

“God yes,” Felicity agreed, grasping Caitlin’s hand before leading them away to the bar.

She didn’t even mind that she broke her own rule about sticking to Oliver’s side. If he was going to reminisce about her rebellious college years with Cisco, she was damn well going to have some alcohol on hand. There were things that just didn’t need to be dug up from the past. Her black and purple hair phase was one of them.

“So?” Iris said once they all had a glass of expensive red wine in hand.

“So?” Felicity repeated.

“Tell us everything,” she said, smacking her arm again.

With a small smile, she shrugged and took a sip of her drink.

“It just… happened,” Felicity said, turning around to lean her back against the bar without tripping over her dress. “I guess it was always heading in that direction.”

“I knew it was going to happen,” Iris said.

“She did predict it as soon as we found out you were going to be his assistant,” Caitlin confirmed.

Felicity couldn’t help but frown a little at that.

“I didn’t want it to,” she said honestly.

They both gave her questioning looks.

“Well it’s a little cliché. The boss and his assistant? Let’s just say that I’m tired of the tabloids and their constant innuendos about his desk at Queen Consolidated,” Felicity said with a sigh.

“It’ll blow over,” Iris said with a wave of her hand. “The chemistry between you two is undeniable. Plus you’re both incredibly hot.”

Felicity flushed a little as her eyes drifted over to Oliver where he was still talking to Cisco and Barry. Not about her any longer, she hoped.

“Holy shit,” Iris muttered.

She snapped to attention, realizing immediately what made Iris curse. Robert and Moira were headed their way.

“Mr. and Mrs. Queen,” Felicity said, leaning forward to embrace Moira and accept a kiss on the cheek from Robert despite the fact that they saw one another at the mansion. “These are my friends, Iris and Caitlin.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Moira said.

“We’re glad that you could make it,” Robert added.

“Thank you,” Caitlin said as Iris stared at Starling City’s most influential couple in wonder.

Moira turned her attention back on Felicity.

“Oliver is going to be expected to give a speech to the guests in about an hour,” she said, looking entirely serious. “I do hope you’ll stand with him when he does.”

Felicity had spent just enough time around Moira to be able to figure out that her “hopes” often translated to a thinly veiled instruction. She had very little choice but to stand beside Oliver, not that she would leave him up there to face this all himself. They were in it together and they would be in it until… Felicity cut that thought off, not particularly wanting to follow that thread. While things had gotten rather enjoyable now that she and Oliver were actually somewhat together, they’d also gotten messy.

“Of course I will,” she said, putting a smile on her face.

Moira looked pleased, nodding at her and bidding Iris and Caitlin goodbye before walking off with Robert. Once they were out of earshot, she took a deep breath and a generous swallow of her wine.

“She’s intense,” Caitlin remarked.

“Yeah,” Iris nodded in agreement, staring after the Queen matriarch. “I mean, she doesn’t really need to ask you to stand with your fiancé. It’s kind of what people do when they’re engaged.”

Felicity didn’t say anything, suddenly feeling a little hot in her heavy dress and the crowded ballroom. It was a huge room but did they really need to invite this many guests? Most of these people only cared about Oliver and his family because of the number of zeroes in their bank account.

“You okay?” Caitlin asked, noticing her discomfort.

Felicity nodded, turning to order another glass of wine for herself and a whiskey for Oliver.

“Oliver and I aren’t done making the rounds,” she said, rolling her eyes for effect once she had the drinks. “I’ll catch up to you after the speech, okay?”

They both nodded, looking a little concerned for her as she slipped away.

“As fun as it is watching all of you discuss my humiliating fashion choices, Oliver and I have a few dozen more people to meet,” Felicity said, slipping her hand into his.

“We’re actually talking about the number you did on MIT’s dean of students,” Oliver said.

Felicity paused for a moment before narrowing her eyes at Cisco.

“You promised that information would never leave my dorm room,” she said in a low voice.

“I think your man has a right to know what a badass he’s marrying,” Cisco said with a shrug.

“You really put him on the mailing list for a male enhancement drug?” Oliver asked.

“No,” Felicity said, shaking her head. “I put him on the mailing list for ten male enhancement drugs, plus a doctor who specializes in helping impotent men.”

His mouth parted in surprise as Cisco nodded with a grin.

“He was a creep who had no business flirting with the students he was supposed to be helping,” she said in her own defense. “I also sent the password for his secondary email account to his wife.”

“You’re remarkable,” Oliver said, clearly amazed.

Felicity couldn’t help but smile, warmth filling her at his acknowledgement.

“Thank you for remarking on it,” she said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Felicity saw Barry and Cisco exchange a glance.

“We’ll let you get back to mingling,” Barry said.

“Yeah, sounds like a good time,” Cisco said sarcastically.

Felicity and Oliver let out simultaneous groans before turning away to blend into the crowd once more. An hour later, they found themselves up on a small platform. Oliver had a microphone in hand and Felicity was standing at his side with a pleasant smile on her face.

“Felicity and I want to thank everyone who decided to join us on this special night,” he said, sounding at ease and practiced. “It’s an honor to have all of you here to celebrate our engagement. The last week has been somewhat of a whirlwind for the two of us and it’s been wonderful to relax among friends and family.”

It was a bit of an overstatement. Nothing about the evening had been relaxing thus far. But almost everyone looked convinced.

“I’ll keep this short. Felicity Smoak came into my life and immediately brought light and happiness that I didn’t know what was missing. I can’t imagine spending a single day of my life without her and I’m counting the days until I can introduce her as my wife. I truly believe that she brings out the best of me and I can only hope that I do the same for her in return.”

Felicity looked up at him only to see that he was already gazing back at her. The look in his eyes could only be described as tender. She felt her heart jump in her chest. Only days ago, she told herself not to fall in love with him. Now she was trying her best not to admit that it had happened already.

“Kiss her,” a voice that sounded suspiciously like Tommy Merlyn called out.

Her cheeks heated as Oliver smiled slightly, shaking his head.

“Do it!” Thea yelled.

“Whoo!” Iris cheered as well.

Felicity resisted the urge to bury her face in his shoulder at the behavior of their friends slash family in this very nice hotel in front of most of Starling City’s one percent. Oliver gave her a shrug and she fought back a laugh. Pushing up on her toes, she pressed a light kiss to his lips as everyone clapped around them. It was nothing like the passionate ones she’d grown used to but it was enough to make her heart flutter just a little. Oliver thanked everyone once again and, once they climbed down from the platform, Felicity rubbed the small trace of her lipstick off of his his mouth just as a man with dark hair approached them.

“Oliver,” he said, reaching out a hand.

“Mr. Merlyn,” Oliver said, shaking his hand with a slightly hard look in his eyes.

Felicity quickly realized that this was Tommy’s father. She could see the resemblance, but Tommy exuded warmth whereas this man seemed cold and unapproachable even with his somewhat polite smile.

“Never thought we’d see this day,” Malcolm Merlyn said, patting Oliver’s arm before pulling away. “I bet your mother is thrilled.”

“If she’s thrilled, Thea is absolutely ecstatic,” Oliver said with a smile. “May I introduce you to my fiancée, Felicity Smoak?”

Malcolm’s eyes slid to her and Felicity got the strange feeling that he’d been trying his best not to acknowledge her presence. Though that may have been her imagination.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Merlyn,” Felicity said with a polite smile.

“You as well, Miss Smoak. I imagine that your family is very proud of you,” he said.

Felicity tightened her hand in Oliver’s.

“My family?” she said.

“Yes,” he said, the critical look in his eyes at odds with his perfectly pleasant voice. “You conduct yourself with grace and poise.”

“Thank you.”

Felicity felt surprised at his words but she felt like they weren’t entirely genuine. If the look on Oliver’s face was any evidence, her suspicions weren’t entirely unfounded.

“I don’t wish to monopolize your time. Have a very good night,” Malcolm said.

“Thank you,” Oliver said, nodding at him.

As he walked away, Felicity hesitated before turning to face Oliver.

“I’m not sure he likes me,” she said.

“Don’t take it personally.”

It wasn’t Oliver who answered her, but rather Tommy Merlyn himself. She turned as he approached with Laurel on his arm.

“I’m not sure I’ve met anyone that man has actually liked,” Tommy said before turning a disappointed look on Oliver. “I meant kiss her like you mean it man.”

“Ignore him,” Laurel said, shaking her head at her husband’s antics. “I generally do.”

“You wound me,” Tommy said before turning his attention on Felicity. “Miss Smoak. You look lovely as ever.”

“Thank you Tommy,” she said, feeling partly flattered and partly offput by the fact that she was standing so casually with Oliver’s ex-girlfriend. “You’re looking pretty dapper yourself.”

It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable with Laurel as a person. It was the fact that she’d been with Oliver in far more intimate ways than Felicity. She felt like Laurel, more than anyone, could easily see through them if Felicity so much as looked at Oliver the wrong way. It made her hyper aware of everything that she did. None of that was Laurel’s fault so she gave her a smile.

“You work at a law firm in the Glades, right?” Felicity asked.

“I do,” Laurel said, a hint of pride in her voice. “CNRI. We help people who can’t afford proper representation.”

“That’s amazing.”

It would be easier to stomach her discomfort when it came to Laurel if she wasn’t such a good person.

“It’s a dream job. Not always easy but generally rewarding,” Laurel said.

Felicity could recognize the look in her eyes. Laurel was passionate about what she did. Part of her wished that she could say the same. Being Oliver’s executive assistant was a good job, at the end of the day, and it paid the bills. But Felicity wanted more for herself. She just had to wait until the insanity surrounding her and Oliver to blow over before bringing it up again.

“Oliver Queen,” a voice came from behind them. “You know I decided to play the lottery for this first time this week.”

They turned to see a blonde woman approaching them with a smirk on her face.

“Why is that?” Oliver asked, looking amused.

“Because clearly this is the week of surprising plot twists. I figure my chances are pretty good.”

Felicity looked at Oliver with confusion as he stepped forward to hug this woman. She turned her attention on Felicity as soon as they broke apart, taking in every inch of her before speaking.

“You are way too beautiful for this guy, you know that?” she asked, shaking her head.

She stammered over her words as Tommy choked back a laugh behind her.

“Sara,” Laurel sighed.

“What?” she said with a shrug.

Oliver turned to Felicity, a good-natured shine in his eyes.

“Felicity, this is Sara Lance. She is the biggest flirt you’ll probably ever meet,” he said.

“Glad to know I’ve surpassed both Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn in that area,” Sara said with a cocky grin.

“You’re Laurel’s sister,” Felicity said, putting a face to the name she’d only heard a couple of times.

“The better Lance, as I like to say,” she said, reaching out to shake Felicity’s hand.

“You wish,” Laurel scoffed as Felicity and Oliver stepped to the side to include them in the conversation.

Sara simply winked at her sister as a woman with dark hair approached.

“Congrats you two,” she said to Oliver and Felicity.

“Thanks Sara,” Oliver said, looking genuinely happy to see her.

It was the kind of happiness reserved for an old friend, which made Felicity happy to see. As a dark-haired woman walked up to join the circle, Sara turned her head and her smile grew wider.

“Oliver you haven’t met my girlfriend Nyssa,” she said.

“No but I’ve heard her name,” he said without missing a beat, reaching out his hand to shake hers. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” she said in a polished accent before her eyes flickered to Felicity. “You are his betrothed.”

“Felicity Smoak,” Felicity said with a nod, shaking her hand as well.

She nodded, giving her a once over much like Sara had.

“You are exquisite,” Nyssa said.

Felicity blinked in surprise before smiling.

“You’re going to have to step up your compliments, Tommy,” she said the first words that popped into her head.

“No kidding,” Tommy said, giving Nyssa a mock glare.

Everyone else laughed lightly and Felicity leaned into Oliver as his arm slid around her waist. When Dig and Lyla wandered up, Felicity and Oliver broke away to hug and greet them.

“I’m so glad you two could make it,” Felicity said.

“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Lyla assured her.

“We’re happy for you both,” Dig said.

There was something in his eyes. Felicity felt like sensed the shift, maybe even before she and Oliver did. Somehow he knew that this had gone past just an arrangement. She wondered if this was what he meant when he informed her that it could get messy. Felicity couldn’t help but wonder what he really thought of it, beyond the nice things someone was supposed to say at an engagement party. When her eyes caught on her four friends standing a short distance away, Felicity waved them over as Oliver engaged Diggle and Tommy in conversation about the Starling City Rockets that Sara quickly jumped in as well.

“You didn’t tell me that you know Tommy Merlyn too,” Iris hissed once they approached.

“To be fair, this is only the second time I’ve met him,” Felicity said quietly.

They all shook her head in disbelief.

“What is your life?” Cisco asked.

“Insane,” Felicity answered with a sigh. “Do you want me to introduce you?”

Mere minutes later, she and Oliver were in a circle of close friends and for the first time that night, Felicity felt like she could truly relax and enjoy herself.

* * *

By the time it was all said and done, and Felicity found herself back in that limo with Oliver, her feet ached, her beautiful dress felt too constricting, and she really wanted to take off the thousands of dollars of jewelry that she wore. But all in all, it was a good party.

“That turned out to be a lot more fun than I anticipated,” she said, leaning her head back against the seat.

“I told you,” Oliver said, rubbing his thumb in circles over the back of her hand. “You did great.”

Felicity turned her head, giving him a lazy smile.

“Only because I had the best date in the whole room,” she said.

“Is that so?” he said, returning the smile.

Felicity scooted closer, laying her head on his shoulder.

“It is very much so,” she told him.

Oliver pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Are you tired?” he asked.

Felicity simply shrugged, feeling more unwound than tired.

“Not particularly,” she said.

He didn’t give an explanation as to why he asked. But when the car pulled to a stop several minutes later, Felicity lifted her head and peered past him out of the window.

“We’re at your building,” she said, looking at him questioningly.

“We are,” Oliver said, lifting his hand to brush his thumb over her cheek. “If you want, I can tell the driver to keep driving to your apartment.”

Felicity felt her heart pick up pace as she sat up a little straighter.

“Or?” she asked.

“Or we can go up, open a bottle of wine, and I can follow up on my promise.”

Yeah, there was definitely a suggestive tone in his voice, just like earlier that evening when he vowed to make it up to her. Felicity swallowed hard and considered his offer. It didn’t take long for her to make a decision.

“I don’t want to go to my apartment,” she said quietly.

It was the truth. Felicity knew that she should probably choose the other option but it was really hard not to follow her heart at the moment. She was a smart person but she was also pretty sure that anyone would find it hard to turn down Oliver when he was looking so good. Plus he was wearing suspenders. Felicity hadn’t forgotten about that.

“You sure?” Oliver asked.

She nodded once.

“I don’t want to leave,” Felicity said with more certainty.

Oliver looked relieved, squeezing her hand once before opening the door.

“You’re off for the night, Derek,” he called to the driver.

“Thank you sir.”

With that, Oliver climbed out before holding his hand out to her. Felicity took it, letting him help her out of the car. She made sure to grab her clutch before bumping the door closed with her hip. It was hard not to feel just a little bit nervous. This was a big deal. She didn’t know exactly what was going to happen up in Oliver’s apartment but she had her suspicions. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.

“Hey,” Oliver said, pulling her gaze to him.

“Yeah?” Felicity asked, letting him tug her in.

“I meant what I said tonight,” he said, sliding his arm around her waist. “You are a remarkable woman.”

She let a smile form on her face as she reached up to brush her fingers over his bristly jaw.

“And you are an amazing man,” Felicity said.

Oliver looked a little stunned before giving her a soft smile of his own. Careless of the lipstick that had stubbornly remained on her lips throughout the night, he leaned in to finally kiss her in that deep, consuming way that made her entire body grow warm and her mind feel a little fuzzy. She wrapped her arm around his neck and responded eagerly, pressing herself closer to him. It felt like ages but in reality, only a few minutes of making out like teenagers in the back of a movie theater passed before Oliver pulled away and took her hand.

“You’re absolutely sure?” he asked.

“One hundred percent,” Felicity said with a nod.

With that, they turned at the same time and ascended the steps to his building together. Felicity knew that she wasn’t the only one with anticipation curling in her belly. This night was just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> Next we get to see exactly what happens when Oliver and Felicity go up to his apartment. In fact, the entire tenth chapter is going to be dedicated to it. You will enjoy it and it will be well worth the cliffhanger.
> 
>  
> 
> **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **  
> 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity spend the evening alone in his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so sorry that this took me so long to get out. My writer's block has been insane and I am just now getting past it. My writing is rusty and I'm sorry that this isn't exactly what I promised. I just hope that it isn't absolutely terrible.
> 
> Thank you so much for getting me over 20k hits and 1.1k kudos, I am still in shock over that if I'm being completely honest. You are all amazing and I promise that I'll try to start updating regularly again. I have every intention of finishing this fic for each and every one of you. Thank you for sticking with me. I love you all.
> 
> This chapter does get smutty. Not super smutty but a little smutty. If you are a little lost on the story, I suggest going back to read the last couple of chapters, or the whole thing if you need to. I had to refamiliarize myself with it too.

Once they were inside of Oliver’s apartment, Felicity didn’t really know what to do with herself. She had very few expectations but also felt like the situation demanded a certain something. Oliver didn’t seem quite as uncertain as her, walking in behind her as she made her way into his living room. Felicity was tempted to sit on one of the barstools in his kitchen or on the couch but her dress would make either quite difficult. Realizing her conundrum quite quickly, he stepped forward and brushed his hand over her elbow to get her attention.

“You want some clothes?” he asked.

Felicity nodded, her heart picking up pace just at the simplest of touches. If they ended up going any further, she may just need a defibrillator.

“Last door,” Oliver said, tilting his head in the direction of the hall. “Use whatever you want. I’ll pick out some wine for us.”

“Thanks,” she said, tossing her clutch on the couch before making her way down the hall.

It was a small relief to be alone for a moment and take a breath while gathering her thoughts. Of course that all disappeared as soon as she opened the door he mentioned and found herself in his bedroom. It smelled like him in the best of ways, with a hint of cologne in the air. His bed was as big as she imagined it would be though it didn’t bother her to see it as much as Felicity expected that it would. It was neatly made, which came as a bit of a surprise, and she could see that the sheets beneath the slate grey comforter were undoubtedly expensive and very soft. 

There were two doors, one leading off to the bathroom and the other closed. Felicity took a chance with the second one and was greeted with a large closet that was about the size of the kitchen in her apartment. At least a dozen suits were hanging along the walls as well as shirts ranging from button downs to henleys. It felt like seeing a whole other part of Oliver. There was almost an intimacy to it that she couldn’t quite describe as she brushed her fingers over the expensive fabrics of his tailor made suits. 

Though he invited her to do so, Felicity flushed a little when she opened one of the drawers in the dresser and found a soft grey t-shirt. Another drawer yielded a pair of black cotton sweatpants. Once she managed to unzip the side of her dress and shimmy her way out of it, she bent down to undo her shoes and kicked them off, giving herself a moment to sigh at the feeling of no longer wearing the heels. Her feet definitely thanked her for the relief. Now that she was standing in the middle of Oliver’s closet in nothing but a pair of black underwear and the expensive jewelry that Thea thrust on her earlier that day, she felt silly more than anything. 

It didn’t take long to pull his clothes on and remove the diamond bracelet and earrings, placing them carefully on the dresser while keeping the ring on her finger. Felicity definitely felt more comfortable, pulling her hair up with a hair band from her clutch before she walked out of the closet with her dress hung over her arm. She laid it on a chair on the way out of his bedroom, following the sound of cabinets opening and closing until she found herself back in the kitchen watching Oliver pour out two glasses of red wine.

“Did you find what you need?” he asked, somehow having heard her approach.

“Yeah, it’s perfect,” Felicity said, the slightest hint of nerves in her voice as she played with the hem of the borrowed shirt.

“Good,” Oliver said as he turned around.

She didn’t know for sure if she imagined his eyes growing just a little bit darker as he took her in but there was definitely a certain heat in his eyes as he crossed the kitchen towards her.

“Cabernet Sauvignon?” he asked, lifting one of the wine glasses.

“You speak my language,” Felicity said, smiling at him.

Oliver pressed the glass into her hand and she took a sip, staring up into his eyes as she did so. Once she swallowed, Felicity reached out and brushed her fingers over his collar, realizing that he’d discarded his jacket somewhere.

“I don’t know why I feel nervous,” she admitted quietly.

“This is new territory,” Oliver said, reaching up to take her hand in his.

He pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist before lacing his fingers through hers.

“We can take it slow,” he said, clearly trying to soothe her nerves.

A giggle escaped from her mouth and he gave her a slightly confused look, tilting his head to the side.

“A little over a week ago, I was just your assistant. We are terrible at taking things slow,” Felicity said.

“And now we’re engaged,” he said with amusement in his voice.

Felicity couldn’t help but grin, nodding her head.

“Thus proving my point,” she said.

“Circumstances change,” he said with a shrug.

She hesitated to speak again, taking several sips of wine before doing so.

“Do you think this would have happened? If my situation hadn’t, well… forced us?”

“Yes,” Oliver said, nodding his head. “I think it was inevitable.”

Felicity smiled faintly, unsure of what to say to that. If it was true, then it definitely made assuaged some of her concerns. Because if they were inevitable, maybe Oliver didn’t decide to do this just to keep his assistant around. And maybe it wasn’t so bad that they were lying to his family and their friends. Because maybe, just maybe, this was always going to happen between them. That was both comforting and intimidating. She turned away before her face betrayed her emotions, walking sit on the couch so that she could admire the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over Starling City.

“I will give it to you, this is a beautiful view,” she complimented, leaning against the arm of the couch so that she was facing him.

“You could have this every night,” Oliver offered with a smile in his voice as he sat next to her.

“NIce try,” Felicity said, giving him a look. “I think I’ve made my feelings on your bachelor pad quite clear.”

“Don’t hear you complaining right now,” he said, an amused shine in his eyes.

She knocked her foot against his leg as a small smile tugged at her lips. The next few minutes passed in companionable silence as they sipped at their wine and admired the view. The tension, however, grew heavier between them. Especially when Oliver’s hand wrapped gently around her ankle underneath the borrowed sweatpants that she wore. Felicity pressed her lips together as she kept her eyes on the window. Her skin warmed everywhere even at the simple touch.

“Hey,” Oliver said quietly after a few minutes.

Her eyes snapped to him and she saw a hint of desire reflected in his own gaze.

“About what you said earlier… you weren’t just my assistant.”

Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat at his words.

“You weren’t just my boss,” Felicity admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Oliver stared at her for a moment, looking almost amazed just before he released her ankle and held his hand out to take her glass. She handed it over, watching as he set them both aside. Then he was taking her hands in his, tugging her forward until she was straddling his lap. Felicity braced her hands on his shoulders as his fell to her hips. Instead of kissing her as she expected, Oliver skimmed his lips over her jaw and nipped at her pulse point, pulling a gasp out of her as she tilted her head back. He laved his attention over her throat before finally lifting his head to kiss her thoroughly enough to steal her breath from her lungs and chase all thoughts but him from her head. Then he broke away from her and she stifled a whine of frustration, restraining her urge to pull him back in for more kissing. 

“Why’d you stop?” Felicity asked.

“I want to check in,” Oliver said, sweeping a fallen lock of hair behind her ear. “And to remind you of the windows in case kissing isn’t the only thing we have in mind.”

She swallowed hard and nodded before pulling away slowly. Oliver watched attentively as she stood up. His gaze was warm and comforting while also filled with nearly overwhelming desire. Felicity stroked his hair before brushing her fingers over his cheek, swiping her thumb over his bottom lip. Then she took a step backwards, letting her hand fall away before giving him a small smile.

“Less windows, I think,” Felicity said.

Oliver’s entire demeanor relaxed just before she held her hand out to him. He took it, standing quickly just before she turned to lead him down the hall. Somehow her nerves faded more and more with every step that she took until they were standing just inside the door of his room and she was staring at the large bed. Oliver squeezed her hand lightly, clearly checking in on her. Felicity turned around, letting go of his hand only to wrap her hands around his suspenders.

“I really like these,” she admitted, looking up at him.

“So I’ve heard,” Oliver said with amusement.

Felicity grinned at him, tugging him close to press her lips firmly to his. Then she slid the suspenders off of his shoulders and he let them fall away from his arms. Pulling away, she began slowly unbuttoning his shirt as her eyes met his, making sure that he didn’t object. Oliver shrugged the shirt off as soon as she was done, letting it flutter to the floor. Felicity turned them around slowly, tugging his undershirt over his head before gently pushing him back to sit on the bed. 

Oliver didn’t struggle at all, watching as she climbed on his lap once more, brushing her palms over his shoulders before carefully pushing him back to lie down. Her gaze held his for just a moment before she let it drift down to his chest, her hands following the direction of her eyes. He didn’t move an inch as she explored his exposed skin, her fingers drifting over every rib and muscle before tracing the scar on his upper abdomen. Without thinking too much, she ducked her head to brush a kiss over the mark, feeling his muscles twitch beneath her lips. When she sat up again he simply stared at her, eyes darkened with lust.

“You’re really beautiful, you know,” Felicity said, the words falling from her mouth before she could help it.

Her cheeks burned as Oliver chuckled, rubbing his hand from her hip to her thigh and back several times.

“I think that’s my line,” he said, gazing up at her in wonder.

She shook her head, tracing his abs that nearly mesmerized her in their definition. Felicity had never been a poetry person but she was pretty sure that all of the verses about god-like men with flawless faces and muscled forms were written with someone like Oliver in mind. It was only when she pressed her palm over his heart that she took a breath and forced herself to look up at him.

“Are we moving too fast?” she asked, the beginnings of a ramble threatening to circumvent any verbal filter that she may have. “I mean, it has only been a week and I don’t want to do anything to… you know…”

She trailed off with a shrug as Oliver pushed up on his elbows.

“Do you think it’s too fast?” he asked.

Felicity didn’t really know what to say and that must have shown on her face because he was pushing up to sit, one hand going to her cheek and the other sliding around to press over her lower back.

“When this all started, you asked why I was doing this. You assumed that it had something to do with keeping you on as my assistant.”

She nodded, remembering that particular conversation. It was an attempt to talk Oliver out of risking a possible prison sentence just to keep her from being deported. While it felt like ages ago, it was really just a matter of days.

“It wasn’t about that,” Oliver said.

Felicity tilted her head to the side, wordlessly waiting for him to continue.

“When you told me that you may be deported, all I could think was that I wasted so much time and now there was a chance that I was too late.”

“Too late for what?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“For you,” Oliver said, stroking her cheek. “For us.”

Her chest filled with overwhelming disbelief and hope as she inhaled sharply.

“Oliver…” Felicity said, feeling at a loss when it came to any response.

Luckily he came through again, brushing his thumb over her jaw as he opened his mouth to speak.

“I would have liked to do this in the right order but if getting married first means that I finally get to do everything that I’ve pretty much spent the past year wishing that I could, then it’s beyond worth it to me. And to answer to your question, I don’t think it’s too fast because I’m pretty sure we’ve been building to this exact moment ever since the day we met.”

Felicity stared at him, her heart racing in her chest as she let his words sink in.

“Wow.”

It wasn’t the most eloquent of responses but it was all that she could manage in the wake of his admission. Oliver looked somewhat amused but there was something in his eyes that told her that he needed more than that. When she lifted her hand and stroked her fingers through his hair, he relaxed just a little and tilted his head into her touch.

“I’m really glad I decided to marry you,” Felicity said.

A grin slowly formed on Oliver’s face and he nodded.

“Me too.”

She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before pulling away, sliding off of the bed to slide the borrowed sweatpants off. Oliver watched with hungry desire in his eyes as Felicity hesitated, playing with the hem of the t-shirt. Scooting to the edge of the bed and reaching out his hand, he tugged her in close once she took it and gazed up at her. His free hand stroked up and down her bare thigh lightly, bringing goosebumps to the surface of her skin and making her shiver.

“Still good?” he asked.

Felicity nodded, brushing her hair out of her face before sinking down to straddle him again.

“Really,” she said, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Really good.”

Oliver hummed, his hands fisting in the shirt as he gave her a questioning look. Felicity lifted her hands over her head in answer, letting him tug it off. The look that he gave her as she sat on his lap in only panties was heated enough to make a flush rise to her cheeks and warmth shoot to the apex of her thighs.

“So damn beautiful,” he said with a shake of his head before slowly turning them around.

Felicity let him lay her on the bed, her hair fanning out over a pillow as he bent down to kiss her. It wasn’t a long kiss, just enough to stroke his tongue over her lower lip teasingly before he was kissing down to her throat. Felicity tilted her head back, shivering as his fingers traced up her sides. When he nipped teasingly at her collarbone, she bit down on her lip to keep from whining and hitched one leg over his waist. Then he was pressing open-mouthed kisses over her chest as his hand came up to stroke over the underside of her breast.

A gasp was wrenched from her throat when he flicked his thumb over her nipple without warning. Felicity barely had time to recover before his mouth closed over the other, his tongue and lips teasing the hardened peak. Felicity’s breaths came out in short bursts with the occasional whimper of his name as he gave her his complete attention. When he broke away and began kissing his way down her abdomen, Felicity shivered with anticipation at what might be coming. It was only when he traced his tongue along the waistband of her panties that she moaned and tugged at his hair.

“Shh,” Oliver said, nuzzling at her navel. “I’ve got you.”

“Oliver,” she pleaded.

He didn’t torture her anymore, hooking his fingers in her panties to tug them down. Felicity didn’t hesitate to give him room to lay between her thighs, hooking one leg over his shoulder as he pressed kisses along her hip. Then his fingers teased at her folds before parting them as she sighed, tilting her hips up in a wordless plea for more. The first touch of his tongue jolted her body as he licked along the length of her, avoiding her aching clit though that’s where she wanted his touch the most.

The delicious contrast of his soft lips lips and warm tongue to the roughness of his scruff had her already halfway to an orgasm. It was too much and too good as he teased one finger at her entrance before finally closing his lips around her clit. Felicity nearly arched entirely off the bed and he chuckled against her, the vibrations doing wonders as he pushed her hips back down and began eagerly licking, nipping, and sucking at her heated core until she was practically a sobbing mess beneath him. As he slid one, then two fingers inside of her, she nearly reached for a pillow to muffle the noises escaping her mouth. As if reading her mind, Oliver lifted his head and nipped at her inner thigh.

“I want to hear you,” he said in a low, rough voice that had her quivering beneath him.

“Don’t stop,” Felicity responded, grasping his hair to push his face back down.

She somehow knew that he was smiling but didn’t really have time to focus on it before he began relentlessly flicking his tongue over her clit as his fingers curled inside of her. The hot coil in her lower belly grew tighter and tighter until her orgasm rolled over her, her walls clamping down on Oliver’s fingers as she squeezed her eyes shut and tossed her head back. He was relentless, driving her into a near frenzy as he continued teasing her clit until she finally had the strength to push him away, fully sated and too sensitive for more. He settled with pressing kisses to her thigh and hip as she caught her breath.

“Wow,” she managed to say for the second time since they found themselves on the bed yet for two entirely different reasons.

“That good, huh?” Oliver said with amusement.

Felicity pushed herself up on her elbows, trying not to flush at the sight of him still between her legs.

“So good,” she said with a lazy smile before sitting up just as she reached out to pull him towards her.

The taste of herself on his lips was hotter than she thought it would be. As she reached for his pants, his hands caught hers and he pulled away.

“You don’t have to.”

“Oliver, shut up,” Felicity said, knocking his hands away before undoing his pants.

He did as she said, letting her shove his pants and boxers off before switching their position so that she was straddling his lap. Reaching between them, Felicity wrapped her hand around him and slowly began stroking him as she stared into his eyes.

“Felicity,” Oliver groaned out, leaning back on his hands to stay upright.

She reached up with her other hand, unable to resist tracing his lips with her thumb.

“Say it again,” Felicity said, teasing her fingers over his tip before stroking him fully again. “My name.”

“Fe-li-ci-ty,” he repeated, drawing it out in a low growl that sent heat throughout her body.

Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply, speeding up her strokes as he thrusted into her hand. When he broke away with a moan, she knew that he was close. The glazed look in his eyes along with the flush in his cheeks and his slightly parted lips had to be the hottest thing that Felicity had ever seen.

“Come for me, Oliver,” Felicity said, pressing kisses over his jaw and throat.

It wasn’t until she scraped her teeth over his pulsepoint that he moaned and bucked his hips. Felicity soothed the spot with her lips and tongue before doing it again, licking and sucking at the spot until he growled her name out and warmth from his release covered her hand, dripping onto his stomach and legs. She didn’t feel disgusted by it, lifting her head to press a kiss to his lips before climbing off of his lap so he could stand. Felicity didn’t have to move at all, waiting on the bed until he came back with a wet washcloth to clean them both up. Then they slid beneath the covers together, their legs tangled together and her head on his chest as his fingers played with her hair.

“We’re good at that,” Felicity said with a triumphant smile.

Oliver huffed out a laugh, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“I have the feeling that we’re going to get even better,” he said.

She grinned, knowing that she was more than willing to put in the practice. Sleep overtook them quickly as the long day caught up to them. Felicity’s last thought before she dropped off was that she could definitely get used to falling asleep with Oliver Queen at her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> **tumblr -[sunshineolicity](https://sunshineolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> **   
> 


	11. Chapter 11

This is not an update, unfortunately. But it is a promise that an update will be coming soon! This fic is not abandoned. I’m working on the new chapter now and hopefully I’ll get it posted as soon as possible.

Thank you all for sticking with me and giving this story all of this wonderful attention! I appreciate you all so much! 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be really bad and I'm sorry in advance. This is a filler chapter to get us to the next stage of the story. I'm also really rusty so I'm trying to get back into the habit of writing them.
> 
> But in good news, it's an update! A real, actual new chapter of this fic! I hope none of you worried that it was abandoned. I promise that I plan to finish it out.
> 
>  
> 
> [Felicity's Outfit](https://urstyle.com/styles/1844837)

She woke to the feeling of fingers tracing lightly over her back. Felicity’s eyes fluttered open as she inhaled, smelling a familiar cologne on the pillow beneath her head. She was lying on her stomach, her hair falling in her eyes and her hands curled close to her sides. Lips brushed over her shoulder and she shivered, a small smile lifting her lips as she sighed contentedly.

“I never want to move,” she murmured, even as she stretched out her legs beneath the covers. “This bed is really nice.”

Oliver hummed against her skin, his knuckles tracing the length of her spine.

“What if I promised you a cheese and pepper omelet and chocolate chip pancakes?” he asked.

Felicity’s eyes opened a little wider and she shifted, pulling the sheet up to her chin so that she could turn over to look into his eyes.

“Well then I might just be tempted from this heavenly mattress,” she said, meeting his gaze.

He was already showered and dressed, his eyes tracing over her almost in awe even though Felicity was halfway sure that she looked terrible with bedhead and streaked makeup.

“Dig brought a bag that Lyla packed for you,” he said, reaching up to brush his thumb over her cheek. “Take your time and I’ll whip something up.”

“My hero,” Felicity said, reaching up to curl her fingers into his still damp hair.

Oliver smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he bent down, pressing a brief kiss to her lips before sliding off of the bed. Felicity pushed up on her elbows to watch him go, her lip caught between her teeth and warmth rising to her cheeks. Once he was gone, closing the door softly behind him, she sat up and slipped out of bed, grabbing the bag before making her way into the bathroom. A grimace pulled at her lips as she caught sight of herself in the mirror, finding it almost impossible to believe that Oliver wasn’t tempted to run screaming from the morning monster taking up space in his bed.

She switched the water on in the shower before digging out a package of makeup wipes, inwardly planning what she should do to thank Lyla and John for the bag. As soon as her face was clear of all makeup, Felicity stepped into the shower with her handful of toiletries and immediately let out a pleased moan at the warm, pressured water that washed over her skin. It was an amazing shower, much like the bed, and she was tempted once more to stay in there for the foreseeable future. Or at least until the water ran cold. But the idea of a ridiculously attractive man out there making her breakfast spurred her into action.

She scrubbed at her hair and body, making sure she was free of the hairspray that kept everything in place the night before. Once she was clean, Felicity stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her once she dried off, brushing her teeth and washing her face before taking her clothes out to throw them on. Leaving her hair to dry naturally, she quickly applied her makeup before packing everything up, feeling like a whole new woman as she stepped out of the bathroom with her socked feet sinking into the plush carpet.

Felicity left her bag by the closet door before making her way down the hallway, following her nose as delicious smells reached her. Oliver had his back to her when she walked out into the kitchen and Felicity leaned against the counter, watching as he worked over the stove. It was impossible not to watch how his muscles shifted and rolled beneath his long-sleeved shirt as he moved, shifting two omelets onto plates as well as several pancakes onto a platter.

“It’s not really fair,” Felicity commented, walking over to the coffee machine to pour them both a cup. “All I bring to the table is my immeasurable wit.”

Oliver didn’t let her get away with that, walking over to wrap an arm around her waist, dropping a kiss to her cheek as she divvied the cream and sugar between their cups just how they both liked it.

“That is far from the truth,” he said.

Felicity smiled, turning her head to seek out a kiss. Oliver didn’t fail to deliver, sneakily shifting her around as his hands fell to her hips and hers delved into his hair. The chaste kiss quickly turned to more, stoking a flame deep inside of her that was barely satisfied the night before. Felicity could have easily forgotten breakfast and enjoyed this for hours but she didn’t want to make his hard work for nothing, even as he nipped at her lower lip and let his hand shift ever so slightly until it was brushing against her ass.

“Breakfast,” Felicity breathed against his lips. “It’s getting cold.”

Oliver sighed and pulled away without dropping his hands, letting his forehead gently press to hers.

“To be continued,” he said.

Felicity smiled, murmuring her agreement. They separated slowly, Oliver giving her one last peck before moving to grab the plates. Felicity took the cups to the table, sitting to the left of him with one leg curled beneath her. It all felt incredibly domestic, right down to the way that Oliver took her hand and brushed a kiss over her knuckles as if he couldn’t quite resist, his eyes shining when she looked his way.

“Remember what today is?” he asked as they cut into their omelets.

“How could I forget?” Felicity asked before putting a bite into her mouth, chewing slowly and enjoying the amazing flavor before swallowing. “I’m gonna kick your ass, Queen.”

She softened her words with a smile his way. They were going to look at their chosen apartments that day, both determined to make a decision on where they would live before the week was out. Felicity had her three apartments to look at and Oliver had his three as well, all within the same general area to make it easy on the realtor showing them around.

“I guess we’ll see,” Oliver said with a slight smile.

Felicity eyed him suspiciously up until she put a bite of pancakes in her mouth, then all was forgotten as she succumbed to the divine taste. Oliver was practically preening as she ate her way through the entire meal, enjoying every single bite. It wasn’t until she finished it all off that Felicity stood and sat sideways on his lap, rewarding him for the breakfast with several kisses, neither of them able to fight their smiles as they simply let themselves enjoy one another.

*****

It felt incredibly easy, walking around the city with her hand loosely entwined with Oliver, careless of the eyes that followed them and the cameras that pointed their direction. Felicity didn’t let herself dwell on anyone else, putting her attention one hundred percent on Oliver and the apartments they were looking at, even if their choices showcased just how different they were. With anyone else, it might have been an utter disaster. But with each property they looked at, their positive outlook didn’t diminish one bit. They were, oddly enough, having fun.

…

“This is an elegant choice. As you can see, the layout of the property encourages a more minimalist decorating style but I’m sure you can customize to your tastes,” the realtor said as she walked them around the third apartment of the day and Oliver’s first choice. “Do you have any questions about it so far?”

“Yeah, um… where is the kitchen?” Felicity said, frowning slightly as she took in the utter lack of kitchen anywhere in sight.

She thought she might have missed it but no matter where she turned, even as they stood between the living and dining rooms, she couldn’t see any trace of it.

“Oh it’s further back in the property. Most of my clientele prefers to have it out of sight when they’re entertaining guests.”

Felicity’s eyes grew wide and fixed on Oliver, who was barely hiding his amusement.

“I guess that tracks,” she said, already turning towards the front door, which was the closest escape apart from the sprawling balcony. “Most of your clientele probably doesn’t want to give the impression that they eat.”

Oliver cleared his voice as the realtor gave her an odd, somewhat offended look.

“I think we’ll take a look at the next one,” he said.

The realtor nodded, shifting towards the door as Oliver and Felicity exchanged an amused look.

“Fair warning, I’m asking for the floor plan first before I walk into a place that keeps the bathrooms in the basement,” Felicity said, relieved to be walking out of the apartment as she lowered her voice to where only Oliver could hear. “I don’t even want to know how much that place cost.”

“No you don’t,” he advised as they made their way towards the elevator.

…

“I… don’t think I’ve ever seen a shower that small.”

Felicity nudged Oliver in the side with her elbow as she peered into the bathroom.

“It’s not too bad,” she said, knowing that she’d certainly lived with smaller spaces.

“There aren’t that many windows, though I suppose you can supplement the light with lamps,” the realtor suggested from nearby, her tone making it clear that she did not approve of this place.

Felicity ducked away from Oliver and made her way back to the living room. It was just a tiny bit smaller compared to her current living room and about one fourth the size of Oliver’s.

“The kitchen…” Oliver trailed off.

Their eyes both flitted to it, taking in the small amount of cabinet and counter space.

“Not so easy to make chocolate chip pancakes there, huh?” Felicity wondered aloud.

Oliver looked over at her.

“I’ll make you pancakes every week if you agree that this place is way too small,” he offered.

It was definitely a tempting offer. Felicity stepped in close to him, perfectly aware that the realtor was edging towards the door, even more desperate to get out of there than Oliver.

“I guess I can live with that,” she said thoughtfully, reaching up to place her hand on his chest. “We probably need a bigger shower anyway. Especially if we ever decide to conserve water and… share.”

Suggestion dripped from every word as Oliver grinned at her, bending down to press a quick kiss to her lips before practically dragging her from the place.

…

“Are you insane?” Felicity demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

She hadn’t even made it past the entryway before the realtor unceremoniously announced that the loft for purchase, not rent, was one of her most expensive listings.

“It’s not entirely outside of the realm of possibility,” Oliver said.

“It has seven bedrooms,” Felicity said with disbelief, shaking her head. “It’s  _ nine million dollars _ , Oliver.”

He shrugged, though there was the vaguest hint of amusement in his eyes that told her he was most certainly messing with her.

“So we have a few extra rooms for guests, like your friends or Thea or...” he said.

“The Starling City Rockets?” Felicity finished for him.

She could tell that it was a struggle for him not to laugh and had to fight down a smile of her own. She most certainly was not going to give him the satisfaction of it.

“It is an excellent fit for the son of Robert and Moira Queen,” the realtor interjected, looking as though she very much approved of this one.

Felicity shook her head, refusing to take another step.

“Not so much for the daughter of Donna Smoak,” she said stubbornly.

Silence filled the space between the three of them and it almost felt like a standoff before Oliver relented with a nod.

“Fair enough,” he said, making his way back towards the door.

“But the jacuzzi in the master bath…” the realtor still tried to tempt them inside.

“Not happening, Sharon,” Felicity said, shaking her head as she pulled Oliver out the door.

…

“We’re failures,” Felicity declared as they made their way down the sidewalk towards their very last apartment option.

Try as she might, she couldn’t help but find deal-breaking faults in every place they visited, including the three that she chose. Part of her wanted to stand firm but many of Oliver’s observations were right, just like her own when it came to his two choices so far.

“Hey,” Oliver said, laughing lightly at her doomed tone of voice. “We still have one more.”

Felicity eyed him warily.

“Your track record hasn’t exactly been great today either, mister,” she reminded him.

Oliver stopped them both just outside of the apartment building’s entrance, nodding at the realtor to go ahead before tilting Felicity’s chin up with gentle fingers to look in her eyes.

“Trust me,” he said quietly, looking all too satisfied with himself even if they hadn’t entered the building yet. “And keep an open mind.”

Felicity nodded slowly, agreeing to his terms without much difficulty.

“If we can find the kitchen and fit more than one person in the bathroom, it’ll be miles ahead of anything else we’ve seen today,” she said.

Oliver smiled, brushing his lips over hers several times in soft, lingering kisses before tugging her inside. The elevator ride up was somewhat uncomfortable as the realtor shot them weary looks but by the time they stepped out and found the apartment door, Felicity could feel anticipation rising in her chest as Oliver practically buzzed with excitement next to her. Once the door was open, he stepped aside to allow her to walk in first. As soon as her eyes swept over the living space, she was in love.

The kitchen was set back behind a wall with a large hole cut into it so that whoever was in the kitchen could see into the living and dining rooms as well. The wood-paneled walls opened up into three huge windows that brought beautiful, endless natural light into the apartment. Her legs carried her forward before she could help it, leading her through the amazing kitchen and on towards the three bedrooms that had sliding doors instead of standard ones. The sleek dark brown wood decorating the entire place gave it the exact kind of feel that she wanted.

It helped that the shower could easily fit five people, much less two.

Felicity turned around as Oliver entered the master bedroom, a smile pulling at her lips that was reflected on his own face. They met in the middle, her hand sliding into his as they looked around the room together. Neither spoke for a while, both taking in the space before moving out to the living room to look at it all together this time. As they finished circling it all for the second time, Felicity turned towards Oliver and looked him in the eye, nodding her head once. It was perfect, satisfying everything that they both wanted and more.

“I love it,” she said.

“I hoped you would,” he replied.

A giddy feeling rose in Felicity’s chest, nearly making her laugh as she turned towards the realtor, who looked somewhat relieved that both of her clients were actually in agreement about something.

“I think we’ll take it,” she said.

“I know we will,” Oliver added.

She beamed up at him, feeling more and more like this wasn’t just the lie that they were telling to keep her in the country anymore. All thoughts and warnings of not losing themselves in the charade faded away because it felt more real than anything.

*****

“To us.”

Felicity rose up her glass of wine, smiling widely when Oliver clinked his own against hers.

“To us,” he echoed.

They were curled up on his couch after a takeout meal, their free hands entwined and their cheeks flushed happily as they sipped at their wine together.

“I talked to my dad,” Oliver said, brushing his thumb in sweeping circles over the back of her hand. “I think I’ve solved our work problem.”

Felicity’s eyes grew round with surprise. She didn’t expect that to happen without several interventions on her part. She definitely liked that he did it even though it was clear that he didn’t want to lose her as his assistant.

“And?” she asked, daring to hope.

“We agreed that you should be utilizing your talents for the company. There’s a position as a project manager in the Applied Sciences department that’s opening up just a few weeks after the wedding.”

Felicity sat up quickly, nearly sloshing her wine out of the glass as she did.

“Really?” she said, a smile growing on her face. “Oliver that’s… I can’t believe it. That’s incredible.”

Oliver looked pleased at her reaction.

“I’m glad you think so,” he said.

“I’ll help you find a new assistant,” Felicity promised him without a beat of hesitation. “I’ll train them and everything. You won’t even know I’m gone.”

Oliver looked doubtful at that.

“I will definitely notice that you’re gone,” he said as she took a sip of her wine. “But I’m not going to hold you back. Not when you deserve more.”

Felicity let out a breathless laugh, feeling even more joyful as she leaned in to kiss him. Their lips barely brushed before they both heard Oliver’s phone start ringing from where it sat on the counter. Felicity pulled away and let him go, her elation still lingering as she watched him stand and walk over to pick it up.

“It’s my mom,” he explained, shooting her a look of apology before swiping to answer the call in a light tone of voice. “Hey.”

Felicity heard the muffled voice of Moira on the other end but couldn’t make out her words, so she had no idea why Oliver’s face twisted into a frown before he walked back into the living room, picking up the remote to his television. Felicity straightened up, reacting to his sudden change in mood as she watched him turn it on and switch to the local news station where Bethany Snow was reporting with a very serious look on her face. The words didn’t even catch up to Felicity yet as her eyes fell to the banner on the bottom of the screen, reading very clearly what had Moira calling.

**DAUGHTER OF A CRIMINAL - THE TRUTH ABOUT FELICITY SMOAK**

All at once, her happy mood vanished, replaced by a cold, dreadful feeling that had her setting her wine aside as the implications of the news story hit her hard and fast. She still couldn’t hear what was being said about her past the roaring in her ears. All that she could do was grip the arm of the couch and try to stay upright as her head spun, finally mustering the strength to say the three words that her mind screamed over and over.

“What the fuck?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> In the next chapter, Felicity is left scrambling to deal with this latest blow, not knowing quite how to do it.
> 
> The apartment they decided on is the same one that Oliver has in s6 of the show. Because I love that apartment.
> 
> on tumblr @ sunshineolicity


End file.
